To mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Confucius Institute of Colombo organized an international symposium on Sept. 27, 2023, held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Following is the text of the presentation I made at the forum.

THE Belt and Road Initiative, I believe, constitutes a pivotal and transformative force that is poised to redefine and reshape the prevailing contours and dynamics of global geopolitics and the economic terrain, with particular resonance for the nations of the Global South, of which the Philippines is a part of, where its impact is profound and far-reaching.