New Study Details Chinese Influence in Philippine Politics and Calls for Reform of Constitution

Online, July 24, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The Journal of Political Risk, published by Corr Analytics Inc., will release a study tomorrow that details Chinese influence in Philippine politics, and calls for reform of the Philippine Constitution. Clauses in the constitution prohibit US military bases in the country. The proposed reform would entail the steps required for the US to deploy significant forces to Naval Base Subic Bay and Clark Air Force Base, among others. The study argues that the rapidly growing Chinese military, and its aggressive incursions into Philippine maritime waters in the South China Sea, make return of the bases necessary to deter Chinese encroachment and expansionism in East Asia.

Dr. Priscilla Tacujan, one of the authors of the piece, states, "The Philippines cannot face China alone. We must welcome back our allies, including the US, Japan, and all countries in ASEAN. The best approach against Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea is for the small countries of the region to join forces and insist upon UNCLOS. But even this will be insufficient if the US does not enforce the findings. Nobody else has the power and will to do so." UNCLOS is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the Philippines claims is being violated by China. Dr. Tacujan continues, "Mass Philippine Protests today show that the South China Sea issue is unifying the Philippine people against Chinese threats."

A pre-release working paper is available at: http://www.jpolrisk.com/chinese-political-and-economic-influence-in-the-philippines-implications-for-alliances-and-the-south-china-sea-dispute/

Dr. Priscilla Tacujan has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Claremont University, and an A.B. from the University of the Philippines, Dilimon, Quezon City. Dr. Anders Corr has a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Government, and is the owner of Corr Analytics Inc. Corr Analytics is a New York based political risk consultancy with a focus on emerging markets.