FORBES: Philippines Can Escape From China -- There's Still Time

The Philippines is already caught in China’s web, but there’s still the time and a way to escape from it.

The time is now that its economy isn’t heavily dependent on China. And the way is by saying “no” to Chinese investments that could leave the country heavily indebted to Beijing...

It can say “no” to Chinese investment projects that promote China’s ambitions rather than Philippines priorities.

Why? For a simple reason: the Philippines economy doesn’t depend heavily on China, as other Asian economies do (e.g., the Malaysian economy).

China isn’t the top direct investor in the Philippines --  Japan, US, and Singapore are.
China isn’t the top export market for the Philippines either. Last year, America was the top export market, at 10.6 billion (15.6% of total Filipino exports), followed by Hong Kong ($9.6 billion (14.2%), and Japan $9.5 billion (14%). China occupied the fourth position($8.7 billion (12.9%).

That’s in sharp contrast with Malaysia, where China is the largest export market for Malaysia ($42.5B), followed by Singapore (35.7B), and the US ($33.1B).

This means that Beijing doesn’t have leverage against any “irrational” behavior by the Philippines, like canceling Chinese projects, as it has over Malaysia.

By coincidence, Malaysia’s exports dropped unexpectedly followed a decision of the country’s newly elected leadership to cancel certain Chinese projects.

If only there's some way we can check Duterte. Article here.

Robredo Hits Back At Imee Marcos For Saying Philippines Started Fight With China

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, April 14, slammed Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, a senatorial candidate, for her "insensitive" comment on the maritime dispute between the Philippines and China.


"Iyon talagang nakakadismaya.... Talagang napaka-insensitive. Nakakatakot na ganito iyong magiging senador," Robredo said on her weekly radio show.
(That's really disappointing.... Utterly insensitive. It would be scary to have a senator who thinks like that.)

In a television interview, Marcos claimed it was Manila that started the fight with Beijing. China claims ownership of virtually the entire South China Sea, including waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

Former president Benigno Aquino III, Robredo's ally, had brought China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague over the dispute. The arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has said more than 600 Chinese ships have circled Pag-asa Island since January, according to ABS-CBN News.

SOURCE: Rappler

Who owns the Spratlys? Palace invokes pro-PHL arbitral ruling vs. China

Malacañang on Friday for the first time invoked the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China's historic claims over most of the South China Sea including the Philippines exclusive economic zone.

President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman Salvador Panelo made the remark after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that the Spratly Islands or Nansha, as the Chinese call them, were part of Chinese territory.

GMANews Online reports.

PH and U.S. officials join hands during closing of Balikatan

"China showed no unusual resistance to Vietnam’s “modest upgrades” to its facilities in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea contrary to how it responded to the Philippines’ rehabilitation efforts, analysts have observed."

Vietnam occupies 49 outposts spread across 27 features in the contested Spratly Islands, while the Philippines has 9.

“Vietnam continues quietly upgrading its facilities across the Spratlys, so far without provoking the same large-scale paramilitary response from China as Philippine upgrades have,” Washington think-tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said in its latest report on the South China Sea.

From the Inquirer: Unlike PH, Vietnam’s ‘modest upgrades’ in Spratlys get no repulse from China

South China Sea: Indonesia And Vietnam Prove Duterte Wrong

...standing up to China doesn’t lead to war.

UPDATE:  Indonesian navy fires shots, seizes Chinese fishing boat near disputed South China Sea