Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Dr. Sevilla Charts Impact of China’s New Silk Route Strategy for the Middle East and SEA in Shanghai Forum

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Dr. Sevilla receiving a token of appreciation at the conference. Photo grabbed from Dr. Sevilla's Facebook page.

Dr. Henelito Sevilla of the UP Asian Center presented a paper, “China’s New Silk Route Strategy: Its Political and Economic Implications for Middle East and Southeast Asia” at the 5th International Forum on Asia and the Middle East, A Global Perspective of the Middle East Governance, which was held from 24 to 25 September 2016 in Shanghai, China.

According to his abstract, his paper attempts to examine the One Belt, One Road policy under which “China would be able to guarantee not only the stable energy supply from the Middle East but also to access markets of the Southeast Asian countries.” He further argues that “however, diverse views arising from this proposal questioned China’s real intentions. Is China’s proposal designed to reorder Asia and contain the ‘US pivot to Asia?’ Does it signal the enlargement of China’s regional influence using its economic might? What does this policy say on ASEAN member countries, particularly the Philippines?” Dr. Sevilla’s proposal “argues that China’s regional and international expansion is a natural byproduct of its economic weight and that maximum economic and political gains can be best expected by the Middle East and maritime Southeast countries in joining the One Belt, One Road project.”  

Dr. Sevilla presented his paper as part of Session 1 under the theme “China and Middle East Relations.” The 5th International Forum on Asia and the Middle East “aims at exploring the Middle East governance by exchanging ideas among scholars and researchers.”

The conference was organized by The Middle East Institute at Shanghai International Studies University; in cooperation with other institutions. Read about the conference and learn more about The Middle East Institute at Shanghai International Studies University.

Dr. Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr. is Assistant Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman and Assistant to the Dean for Administration and Public Affairs. He specializes in international relations, Mindanao studies, Philippine-Middle East Relations, political economy of the Middle East, energy security in Asia, Persian Gulf security and Middle Easterners in the Philippines. The coordinator of the West Asian Studies graduate program of the UP Asian Center, he handles several graduate courses such as Seminar on West Asia, Philippine Foreign Relations in Selected Countries in West Asia, and History and Development of Philippine Foreign Policy. Visit his faculty profile. 

The UP Asian Center offers M.A. programs in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, and hosts or organizes various lectures and conferences.