Can a US-governed ‘Pax Silica’ hub turn Philippines into a chip powerhouse?

The United States is planning to build an “economic security zone” in the Philippines to counter China’s dominance in critical technologies. The 4,000-acre (1,619-hectare) hi-tech industrial hub will reportedly be the first of its kind in the world, operating under US common law despite being on Philippine soil. Washington says it will be the first “AI-native investment acceleration hub” developed under the US-led Pax Silica initiative, a framework aimed at mobilising allied economies around...