FedEx expands in Philippines, cutting China dependence

MANILA -- U.S. courier FedEx will develop a regional cargo terminal at Clark Air Base in the Philippines as the bruising U.S.-China trade war forces the company to rely less on its Guangzhou hub.

The construction of the new and larger gateway, which began late last year, will be completed by the end of 2020 and will house FedEx's expanded Philippine operations, government and company officials confirmed.

"We are really very excited," Secretary Vince Dizon, President Duterte's adviser for flagship projects who also heads the state agency in charge of redeveloping former military bases, told the Nikkei Asian Review. "FedEx is one of the biggest locators that the Duterte administration has been able to attract."

FedEx's decision to push ahead with plans to build a terminal at Clark, a former U.S. military base, is also a vote of confidence in the Philippines, despite President Rodrigo Duterte's renewed antagonism toward the U.S.

Read more: Nikkei Asian Review