‘Is China Telecom a Trojan Horse?’ Philippine Lawmakers Ask

Xu Wei

(Yicai Global) Jan. 19 — Members of the Congress of the Philippines fear that China Telecommunications Corp., which intends to enter the Philippine market, may be a “Trojan horse,” Singapore-based online media outlet Zaobao reported.

“While we agree that telecommunications and connectivity are serious problems in our country, it behooves us to scrutinize the China deal,” a minority group of lawmakers said in a statement. “Is China Telecom a Trojan horse?”

They warned that authorities should not approve the Chinese firm’s plans in haste. “Giving China access to the country’s communications infrastructure is a serious threat to national security,” they said.

The Southeast Asian country aims to introduce a telecoms firm to the market this quarter to end the current duopoly in the sector. The state-run Chinese group has emerged as a candidate for investing in the Philippines and partnering with a local company.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte “has welcomed Chinese entities specifically to become the third telecoms operator,” Reuters reported.