Researchers from the Foreign Service Institute attended a closed-door meeting with the Chinese Institutes for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) at the China Hall of the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, on 13 January 2015.

The meeting, titled “China’s Regional Security and Foreign Policy,” gathered officials from different government agencies and members of the academe to exchange views with the scholars from CICIR and shed light on important topics such as the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Asian Infrastructure Development Bank (AIIB).

On the Maritime Silk Road, Mr. Fu Mengzhi, Vice President of CICIR, asserted that the Philippines is “a very important member of the Maritime Silk Road.” He explained that the MSR is about reviving the ancient maritime trade routes through physical connectivity, adding that the MSR is not about military projection.

Meanwhile, on the establishment of the AIIB, Mr. Fu explained that China’s establishment of the AIIB is about stimulating economic growth in the region.  Over the years, China has long sought for a bigger voice in regional and international financial institutions to reflect its position as the world’s second largest economy. It has long lobbied – although unsuccessfully – for bigger voting power in the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).