Free Republic

MANILA: The United States and the Philippines have announced plans for a 4,000-acre “Economic Security Zone” in Luzon (ESZ), a new industrial hub meant to strengthen supply chains for critical goods and deepen allied manufacturing ties, according to a US State Department fact sheet and a post by Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg. The project, about 1,618.7 hectares (16,187,000 square metres, about 16.187 square km) is being described as the first “AI-native investment acceleration hub” under "Pax Silica", a US-led initiative aimed at building secure supply chains among partner countries. Officials said the site is intended to help secure...

Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg today announced the United States’ and the Philippines’ plans to establish a 4,000-acre industrial hub to secure inputs vital to American and global supply chains. The site is located in the Luzon Economic Corridor of the Philippines. The site—the first of its kind—is being designated by the Philippines as an Economic Security Zone, a new model for AI-native investment acceleration hubs being developed under the Pax Silica Initiative. The Economic Security Zone is part of a broader strategy to surge production for inputs vital to U.S. supply chains. It is expected...