Country Profile

Elections in June 2016 saw President Rodrigo Duterte assume his six-year term as the 16th president of the Republic of the Philippines. President Duterte won the May 2016 elections by a wide margin to become the first president from Mindanao, the country’s southernmost and second-largest island, ushering in a period of widespread change through the executive and legislative branches of government for the 106.5m-strong country. The administration of former President Benigno Aquino III had implemented changes that saw the Philippines become the fastest-growing economy in Asia as of the end of 2016, eclipsing even China. Sovereign credit rating upgrades, a continuous campaign to promote transparency and robust economic performance elevated the Philippines to a diplomatic, political and economic stature it had not enjoyed for decades. This chapter contains interviews with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte; and Jin Liqun, President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.