Warning: China could shut off the Philippines' power grid at will, a report has warned. The two countries' leaders, Rodrigo Duterte and Xi Jinping, are pictured
CNN: China can shut off the Philippines' power grid at any time, leaked report warns
The Philippines' power grid is under the full control of the Chinese government and could be shut off in time of conflict, according to an internal report prepared for lawmakers seen by CNN.
China's State Grid Corporation has a 40% stake in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), a private consortium that has operated the country's power lines since 2009. Concerns over potential Chinese interference in the Philippine energy system have dogged the arrangement since it was first agreed a decade ago.
Lawmakers called for an urgent review of the arrangement this month after the report claimed that only Chinese engineers had access to key elements of the system, and that power could in theory be deactivated remotely on Beijing's orders.
There is no history of such an attack on a power grid by China, nor has any evidence been presented to suggest that any was imminent, only that it was theoretically possible in future.
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Update #1: China can shut off the Philippines power grid at will, report warns - highlighting concerns over allowing Beijing to invest in foreign nuclear plants (Daily Mail)
Update #2: Philippine senator urges probe into Chinese 'threat' to power grid (Bangkok Post)
WNU Editor: If push comes to shove and there is an emergency/conflict between China and the Philippines, I can guarantee that the moment it starts to involve the military, the switch will be turned off. And while the Philippine government can step in and re-assert Philippine control over the grid, it will take time and who knows what may happen between the moment the switch is turned off, and when the lights come back on.
4 comments:
Filipinos have chips on their shoulders. They'll have them for a long time. McKinley should have followed Mark Twain's and Admiral Dewey's advice. He didn't.
All the Filipinos want are 2 or 3 islands in the South China sea. Other than that they have no beef with China and no designs.
There are more than a few Filipinos with Chinese ancestry going back generations of the normal type not the slave type. The PRC should build on that. They should form joint ventures with Phillipine companies and produce any oil and take 1/2 or 49% of the profit.
The PRC is not stepping in it. It is a cannonball.
China is making these types of deals all over the planet. Goes to show how bribery is so effective with politicians. They come cheap is what the Chinese have discovered. American politicians are different than these Filipino bribed politicians only in we have a higher price tag.
First, there is no 'switch'; power grids and complex systems with many parts. At best, the Chinese could hamper the Philippines but critical systems should be backed up by emergency power. However, these Chinese are crafty for sure.
Power systems have to be 'balanced'. You can take a part out and start a cascade. Some equipment might be damaged, but I am sure the mitigate against that. Still take the grid offline several times in a short period would cost a lot of GDP.
There is less back up power than people believe. A straight up 50/50 economic approach would be the best way for the Chinese to go vis-à-vis The Phillipines.
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