Expert says Chinese not solely focused on occupying WPS

A global security expert claimed that Chinese operations in the Philippines were not limited to the ongoing dispute in the West Philippine Sea as their influence was already felt in the cities, including Manila.

Ray Powell, Director of the SeaLight Foundation, said in a forum in Quezon City this Saturday that the Chinese were seeking to influence the Filipino people into accepting their control as a ‘permanent fact of life’ through various channels.

Powell further stated that their company had long probed what it called gray zone activities by the Chinese Coast Guard within the Philippines, particularly when it comes to the organizations that are connected to the Chinese communist party.

"The connections are not secret, but they are written in a language most Filipinos don't speak," he said.

Powell revealed that Chinese Ambassador Huan Xilian had previously coordinated with executives from Manila-based media organizations in an effort to promote Chinese patriotism through their platforms.

Aside from the media, he said that China was also trying to influence the way that we speak as he said that around 5,000 teachers have been sent over from Mainland China to teach in Chinese-language schools within the country.

Powell denied the notion that their investigations were directed toward Chinese Filipino nationals, noting that their main focus was on hostile state initiatives that sought to take over local institutions.

SeaLight was a foundation formed by a team of volunteers from Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation and utilizes readily-available technology to investigate ‘gray zone’ activities of China.

These activities come in the form of illegal incursions, intimidation measures, outpost and artificial island building, and harassment of legal activities among others.