Ex-navy officer: China’s new tack is ‘coopting’ PHL execs

ARETIRED Navy official has warned of China’s continuing effort to secure a foothold in the country by allegedly “coopting” key officials of the Department of National Defense, senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other government officials.

The warning was issued by retired Rear Admiral Rommel Jude Ong during a closed-door forum organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute on Tuesday, where he called Beijing’s move a “political warfare” designed to support its illegal claims of the West Philippine Sea.

“Former President Duterte’s pivot to China did not gain traction because of the pushback from the DND and the Navy. Beijing realized this, which explains why the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is pushing President Marcos Jr. to set up talks with the AFP and to strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries,” Ong said.

“The Chinese embassy fired the operating salvo by hosting an alumni event for AFP officers trained in China. Referencing the Chinese playbook on inf luence operations, in their mind, the only way they can establish a secure foothold in the country is by coopting key officials of the DND and senior officers in the AFP,” he added.

Ong’s warning came just after a Chinese Coast Guard vessel drove away a Filipino fishing boat in Ayungin Shoal on January 9, 2022, just several days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to China.

Ong pointed out that a successful cooptation of political elites through influence operations seriously impacts the country’s maritime interests.

“At the national level, Beijing can insinuate itself in decision-making and disrupt the country’s security posture in the WPS,” the former Navy official said.

“Case in point: to ‘prevent a war with China, Duterte did not allow the Navy to conduct patrols in the EEZ, secure vessels surveying the service contract areas off Palawan and participate in bilateral patrols in the WPS with the US Navy,” he added.

During his talk, on gs aid the united States or Australia should be“encouragedto take a lead role in discussing the ways to mitigate foreign interference to take a lead role in discussing the ways to mitigate foreign interference in the guise of cooptation of political, business, and military elites, strategic corruption, disinformation, and cy ber warfare, among others .”