PRESS RELEASE

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Filipino General: Joint Development of South China Sea Could Make Manila a Starting Point of the Maritime Silk Road

July 19, 2016 (EIRNS)—Gen. (ret.) Victor Corpus proposed a "win-win" policy for the dispute with China, based on cooperation, but also warned that China has every reason to defend itself against a possible U.S. nuclear assault.

"Talk with China one-on-one with both sides setting aside sovereignty issues first but not surrendering their claims," Corpus told the Manila Times.

Corpus is known for having defected to the communist insurgency in 1970, then returning to the government in 1976, but then serving 10 years in prison. He later became head of the country’s military intelligence service, then served as Veterans Affairs officer at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, where he met the LaRouche movement.

Corpus pointed to the mutual benefit of jointly developing fishing and mineral resources in the region, but also the potential of

"making Manila the easternmost terminal hub of the Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century that will start in Manila and end up in Madrid."

Corpus called on China to help the Philippines in developing the Silk Road by modernizing communication systems, ports, airports, expressways and railways, and establishing industrial and manufacturing economic zones.

Most strikingly, he pointed out that China needs to

"guard the mainland from US Tomahawk missile attacks from submarines that could annihilate its more than a billion population in only two hours."

He concluded:

"So, a win for China is for the Philippines to agree on the status quo, that both countries continue occupying and developing the islands they each maintain at the moment."