There is nothing suspicious about the country’s decision to allow a Chinese scientific agency to conduct research at the Philippine Rise, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said over the weekend. Without providing details, Cayetano said the government is following the same rules for all countries applying for a permit to conduct research inside the Philippine territory. “There’s nothing suspicious about the approval and disapproval of a scientific research, whether they are Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolians, Singaporeans, etc.,” he said.

Mateo, J. (2018, January 14). 'Nothing suspicious about Chinese research at Phl Rise'. The Philippine Star, p. 10.