OpinionPhilippines must be certain its military’s telecoms deal will not let in a Chinese Trojan horse

Contract to install equipment in military facilities awarded to state-owned China Telecom in joint venture with an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte

Defence secretary should be satisfied Beijing could not intercept or sabotage sensitive communications before giving final approval

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (left) with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country is Duterte’s principal strategic partner. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 5:00pm, 28 Sep 2019Updated: 11:12pm, 28 Sep 2019

“Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts,” warned Laocoon, the priest of Troy. In today’s Philippines, many are wondering whether they are letting through a proverbial Trojan horse by welcoming Chinese telecommunications infrastructure.

Earlier this month, the Philippine military signed a highly controversial agreement with a telecoms company that relies heavily on state-owned China Telecom’s technology and capital. The agreement has unleashed a firestorm of criticism across the country, with leading statesmen and experts accusing the Philippine government of undermining national security.

There are also worries that it will undermine security cooperation with Washington, which has openly warned against adoption of Chinese telecoms equipment. Critics warned that China would be able to intercept, manipulate and sabotage the communications network of the Philippine military.

Their fears will hardly have been eased by Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippine Defence Secretary, saying after the deal’s announcement that he had known nothing about it. Lorenzana has the final say on whether it proceeds.

The Beijing-friendly Rodrigo Duterte administration has insisted that the deal is both safe and standard. But short of cancelling the agreement, the Philippine government and military should strengthen cybersecurity measures and monitoring to reassure the public and allies about the security of its communications.