Up to Duterte to end airport deal with US-sanctioned Chinese firm — Cavite guv
MANILA, Philippines — The provincial government of Cavite is ready to terminate its contract with a Chinese firm involved in reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea but the decision will be up to President Rodrigo Duterte.
Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla on Friday said he would have to consult with the president and the Department of National Defense on the matter.
"It's a national security issue. If the president says, if the Department of National Defense says that it's a security risk to enter an agreement with them then we will cease, we will terminate the agreements immediately," Remulla said in an interview with ANC.
Subsidiaries of Chinese-state owned construction giant China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC) were among the 24 firms blacklisted by the US for involvement in the militarization of South China Sea features.
Among the Chinese firms in the list is CCCC Dredging, which is also involved in the first phase of the Sangley Point International Airport project in Cavite.
A Wall Street Journal report in November 2015 showed that CCCC Dredging wholly owns the firm that operated the dredging ships seen around the Spratly Islands in from January to February 2015, including Mischief Reef, which is within Philippine exclusive economic zone.
According to Remulla, the first phase of the project, which was awarded to CCCC and Lucio Tan's MacroAsia Corp., is expected to be completed in a month.
"These things should have... the national government chime in on and have their own risk assessment of what's going on," Remulla said.
For Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., government projects involved with Chinese companies linked to the South China Sea reclamation should be terminated.
"If I find that any of those companies are doing business with us then I would strongly recommend terminating the relationship with that company," Locsin said in an interview with CNN Philippines' "The Source".
Locsin, however, said he would have to consult first with the Department of Transportation and the National Economic and Development Authority as these are the agencies dealing with Chinese projects.
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