Philippine senator urges probe into Chinese 'threat' to power grid

MANILA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - A senator in the Philippines
urged lawmakers on Tuesday to investigate China's access to its
power grid, warning of a security threat and possible sabotage
due to its stake in the nation's only transmission firm.
Risa Hontiveros filed a resolution warning of
Chinese-engineered power and internet outages and interference
in elections if safeguards remained absent, citing confirmation
last week from a Philippine power executive that a "hostile
third party" had the ability to cause blackouts.
Beijing and U.S. ally Manila have a long history of
mistrust, despite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's pursuit
of warmer ties with China, largely concerning disputes in the
South China Sea. Opinion polls consistently show Filipinos
consider China an untrustworthy neighbour.
Ties were at their worst under the previous administration,
when the Philippines infuriated China by seeking international
arbitration over the conduct of its coastguard and its
transformation of submerged reefs into de facto military
installations.
Hontiveros said a country capable of aggression should not
have the means to destabilise a neighbour "with the flick of a
switch".
"Imagine a foreign country, which is an unrepentant
trespasser and aggressor in our seas and territories,
controlling our national electricity grid," Hontiveros said in a
statement.
"It could sabotage our elections, shut down our access to
television, the internet and other communication technologies,
cause the collapse of our economy and undermine our national
security," she said.
China's embassy in Manila did not respond immediately to a
request for comment. There are no publicly known instances in
the Philippines, or government accusations, of Chinese
interference in its utilities.
Concern about China's involvement in the power grid was
first raised on Thursday during the energy department's 2020
budget hearing in the Senate.
It also comes amid warnings by minority lawmakers that China
Telecom's 0728.HK joint venture with Dennis Uy, a tycoon
close to Duterte, could be a "Trojan horse https://reut.rs/2NXdg9g
" for espionage. The consortium recently won approval to install
communications equipment on Philippine army bases.

China's State Grid Corporation owns a 40% share in a
consortium called the National Grid Corporation of the
Philippines, which in 2008 won a 25-year-franchise.