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By Chito Lozada First of two parts When President Duterte min­gles with the region’s leaders and business executives at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, he is opening the country to be among the main beneficiaries of an initial $100 billion that China is pumping into the initiative. He is also expected to further boost the …

Poor internet connection may have been a major contributor to the delays in government spending for the past years, resulting in the massive unspent budget allocations that ultimately slowed down the economy’c growth potential, a study by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said.

Trade was the main benefi­ciary of the improved bilateral relations between the Philip­pines and China as merchan­dise exports picked up in the first quarter.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr.’s appointment as next central bank chief would benefit not only the banking sector but the entire economy as well, a senior economist of ING Bank Manila said.

China is willing to work with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to fully im­plement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman has said.

International port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) reported unaudited consolidated finan­cial results for the quarter ended March 31 posting revenue from port opera­tions of $297.2 million, an increase of 12 percent over the $266.5 million re­ported for the same period last year.

Newly appointed Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Ci­matu is calling for Asean member-na­tions’ increasingly concerted action for environmental protection.

Around 2,000 years ago, merchants and caravans began moving east and west along the Silk Road, trading goods and technology. Now, a modern Silk Road, rekindling trade, attracting investment and sharing prosperity, is in the making.

Zhengzhou City—With the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) serving as bridge, more ‘Made in the Philippines’ food products such as dried mangoes, ba­nana chips and sugar-coated ‘pili’ nuts are expected to reach China’s market in the future.

Many of the problems plaguing today’s world boil down to sluggish develop­ment, and effective growth strategies are more than welcome for better global governance, say analysts.