A Chinese company is set to invest $2bn to build an industrial park at Clark Air Base, the former US military outpost in the Philippines, marking one of the most vivid signs yet of President Rodrigo Duterte’s increasing tilt towards Beijing away from Washington.

The planned new projects would be one of China’s biggest investments in the country and one of the largest projects of Mr Duterte’s $180bn “Build Build Build” plan to rejuvenate infrastructure in the Philippines. It coincides with a visit by Xi Jinping to the country this week, the first state visit by a Chinese leader since Hu Jintao in 2005. 

Vicencio Dizon, head of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, said that a memorandum of understanding would be signed this week with China Gezhouba Group to develop 500 hectares to be used by technology and manufacturing companies from China. The Philippine government is looking to develop the area north-west of Manila into a new business hub.