Report on Philippines’ power grid being ‘under control’ of China total nonsense: FM

China refuted on Wednesday allegations that the country controls or threatens the national grid power of the Philippines, claiming a report on that was total nonsense.

The comment followed a recent report citing a senator in the Philippines who urged lawmakers on Tuesday to investigate China’s access to its power grid, warning of a security threat.

The State Grid Corp of China (SGCC) participated in the power system of the National Grid Corp of the Philippines as a partner, providing safe, efficient and quality grid services, Geng Shuang, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference.

The SGCC did not respond to a Global Times inquiry as of press time.

The Philippines is an important partner and friendly neighbor of China, said Geng.

“China supports Chinese firms developing pragmatic cooperation in the Philippines according to local rules and expanding mutual benefits,” said Geng.

It is hoped that some people in the Philippines could treat bilateral collaboration with an open mind and fair attitude, Geng noted. “There is no need to have groundless fears nor to make up things.”

In June, two Chinese-funded solar power stations were officially completed and handed over to Philippine authorities to bring remote villagers electricity and opportunities, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The stations are the first fruit of the “Brighten Up” project, funded by donations from the SGCC, a charitable project presented by a Chinese firm in the Philippines.

The power supply project, which broke ground last January, uses solar micro-grids to provide centralized power with a generation capacity of 76kW and battery storage capacity of 432 kWh.