Asia analysts have warned that by accepting aid from and improving trade with China, the Philippines could weaken its maritime claims in the South China Sea and undermine a multilateral approach to resolving the territorial dispute. Beijing could blunt any intervention by the United States in the territorial row with threats to stop cooperating with Washington in the standoff with North Korea over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. Professor Eric Harwit of the Asian Studies Program of the University of Hawaii said that in receiving favorable trade terms from China, Manila could be seen to be “doing a very quick 180-degree turn on their claims to those islands” in exchange for short-term benefits like more fishing rights.

Agoncillo, J. A. (2017, May 21). PH may weaken its South China Sea claims by accepting favors from China, says expert. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p A3.