Chinese-backed bid for

Sangley airport project

triggers security fears
Frances Mangosing

MANILA, Philippines — A new development in one of the

country’s strategic spots has fanned national security
concerns: The prospect of a Chinese-backed firm building
a commercial airport at Sangley Point, Cavite might soon
become a reality.

A consortium led by China Communications Construction

Co. Ltd. (CCCC) and Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Corp.
submitted the lone bid for the Cavite government’s
planned P500 billion Sangley Point International Airport.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to reports, the Chinese state-owned CCCC was

debarred from 2011 to 2017 by the World Bank for alleged
fraudulent practices.

But it is the idea of having a Chinese foothold in a vital

location that did not seem to sit well with some retired and
active security officials.

“On the basis of the same security and defense issues

that we earlier raised resulting [in] the aborted purchase
of the Hanjin Subic shipyard by a Chinese company, this
again is highly objectionable and even worse!” retired
Navy chief Alexander Pama wrote in a Facebook post on
Thursday.

Early this year, two unidentified Chinese shipbuilding firms

reportedly showed interest to take over the Philippine unit
of the bankrupt shipyard of South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy
Industries and Construction Corp. located in Subic Bay, a
former US naval base facing the West Philippine Sea,
where Beijing is expanding its presence to bolster its
maritime claims.

The plans of the Chinese firms never moved forward and

were unheard of later on after security officials had voiced
their concerns against the possible Chinese takeover of
the shipyard.

Pama pointed out that the air and naval bases at Sangley
Point were positioned there precisely for their strategic
locations.

A former US base until the early 1970s, Sangley Point

currently houses Philippine air and naval bases. Its
strategic location near Manila Bay had also made it a
prime naval facility even during the time of Spanish
colonization.

“With this, they (Navy and Air Force) will be co-located

with something that could bring clear and present danger
to them (if they are not evicted and/or relocated) and
consequently to our nation’s capital. Won’t we really ever
learn? Is it too late to rectify this?” Pama said.

He also raised security concerns on the presence of a

massive Philippine Online Gaming Operations (Pogo)
complex near Sangley Point, which mostly caters to
Chinese employees.

ADVERTISEMENT

A ranking security official, who spoke on the condition of

anonymity, said the potential Chinese-backed
development at Sangley Point should be viewed through
national security lens: “Anything that Chinese pays
attention to should be subject for investigation on where
that Chinese company is connected with. The security
sector must be part of the decision-makers.”

Eye on strategic locations

Apart from the prospect of a Chinese takeover at Hanjin

shipyard, security officials also earlier raised concerns
over the reported interest of Chinese firms in some of the
country’s strategic locations.

The Philippine Navy in August strongly cautioned against

the reported plan of Chinese firms to invest in three
islands in northern Luzon, which are coincidentally
considered with great strategic importance.

Chinese investors had proposed to build a P2-billion

“smart city” on Fuga Island, located between the Pacific
Ocean and West Philippine Sea, as well as development
projects on Grande and Chiquita Islands in Subic Bay.

Other Chinese stakes on sensitive infrastructure have

faced scrutiny this year for national security reasons,
including the agreement with a China-backed
telecommunications company to set up equipment in
military camps and the 11-year old partnership of the
privately-run National Grid Corporation of the Philippines
with a Chinese firm.

China’s playbook

Chinese-backed investments and projects have seen

rising scrutiny in some parts of the world in recent years
due to national security concerns.

International analysts have said that it is part of China’s

playbook to invest in a country’s significant infrastructure
or strategic location for potential dual-use projects that
would suit its strategic military needs in the future.

To allay the security fears on the Chinese-backed project

at Sangley Point, the Cavite government said it wants the
Philippine Air Force to move its operations at the planned
international airport.

“That will ensure we have safeguards in place to assert

our sovereignty over the development,” Cavite Gov. Jonvic
Remulla was quoted as saying in an Inquirer report on
Thursday.

Edited by KGA

Read Next

'Quad' countries agree to provide billion COVID-19

vaccine doses in Asia

00:33

'Quad' countries agree to provide billion COVID-19

vaccine doses in Asia
01:35

China warns U.S. to stay out of Hong Kong affairs ahead

of Alaska meet

02:54

Muntinlupa City council to discuss common curfew in

NCR

04:27

Bong Go maintains he's not running for president but...

03:36

DOH records 978 adverse ‘minor and common’ effects in

PH’s COVID vax drive

01:39
DOH not stopping AstraZeneca vaccination despite blood
clot concerns in EU