Chinese deaths in Philippines deal blow to business plans already frayed by maritime dispute
- If South China Sea disputes were not worrisome enough, businesspeople looking to capitalise on the Southeast Asian market got a jolt after recent high-profile killings
A disturbing pair of late-June killings in the Philippines has further sullied the Southeast Asian country’s image among Chinese investors and business travellers who were already growing wary of a festering maritime dispute that threatens a lucrative trade relationship.
“Local Chinese friends there say the atmosphere among local Chinese is becoming increasingly tense, with worrying about how to protect the properties and businesses they have invested in the Philippines,” said Daniel Zhu, the operator of a Guangzhou-based film and television production firm.
He said his company “quickly abandoned” a short-video promotional project in the Philippines because of the kidnap-killings of a Chinese citizen and a Chinese-American on June 24.
One of the victims was an international marketing director of Hong Kong-listed company Rainmed Medical Limited, and the other worked as a distributor for a cardiovascular medical device company, according to financial news outlet Yicai Global. The pair had travelled to the Philippines on business, days before the homicide.
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