Philippine Lawmakers Worry China Telecom May Be a 'Trojan horse' (reuters.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Opposition members of the Philippine Congress raised concern on Wednesday that China Telecom Corp, which may enter the Philippine industry, could be a "Trojan horse" aimed at giving China access to state secrets. The Southeast Asian country aims to name a third telecom operator within the first quarter that will break the duopoly of PLDT and Globe Telecom State-run China Telecom has been named as a possible investor in that third entity. President Rodrigo Duterte, who has warned both PLDT and Globe to shape up or face competition, has welcomed Chinese entities specifically to become the third telecoms operator. Beijing has selected China Telecom to invest in the Philippines, according to Philippine officials, but it would need to partner with a local company as it cannot operate alone under the law. China Telecom's presence in the Philippines, however, does not sit well with some lawmakers, given China's telecommunications expertise and sophisticated technology.

Comments

America isn't actively trying to steal land there

[Zontar_Thing_From_Ve]

China is. Look up the South China Sea disputes. China and the Philippines have an ongoing major dispute about various territories there. If America steals their secrets, they aren't going to use that to gain a military advantage over the Philippines because they are security allies and the USA has no territorial claims in the disputed area. China, on the other hand, could use secret information to their advantage.