One of the country most prominent military man and now congressman, Rep. Rodolfo Biazon suggests that the Philippine government and its allies should consider imposing economic sanctions on China if Beijing refuses to abide by the ruling of the United Nations arbitration court on the disputed South China Sea issue.
In a radio interview the lawmaker suggests that in the face of the mounting threat from China, the Philippines and its neighbors should emulate what the European Union did to Russia in response to Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.
“This might lead to something like what the European Union did in the dispute over Ukraine…. They imposed mostly economic sanctions … including a little bit of political sanctions [on Russia],” Biazon said.
Rep. Biazon said that other retaliatory measures could be taken against China, such as blocking the passage of its oil imports from the Middle East along the ancient commercial route known as the “Silk Road,” which the communist country was reviving.
The feisty lawmaker who served once as one of the country’s top generals said he had discussed the two possible measures with members of the Diet, or the Japanese parliament, and Japanese diplomats, but only informal.