MANILA — A maritime expert on Saturday said the Philippines could do away with its trade relations with China, as this is among the ways to retaliate against them amid issues in the West Philippine Sea.

Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said Philippines could always have other trade partners aside from China, the biggest market for Philippine exports.

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"Marami rin tayong nakukuha sa China, in the same way marami rin silang nakukuha sa atin. Again, sa akin, dehado pa rin tayo kahit kumukuha sila sa atin, kumukuha sila ng raw materials, mga mines, agricultural products, tapos ang i-export nila sa atin ay mga finished products na," Batongbacal said over Teleradyo Serbisyo.

(We get a lot of goods from China. In the same way that they get a lot from us. Again, for me, even if they get goods from us, we are on the losing end. They get raw materials...and then they export finished products to us.)

"Kung mawawala 'yung trade natin sa China, or mabawasan man lang, sa akin, puwedeng mapalitan 'yun eh," he added.

(I think we can replace the trade with China if that disappears.)

He said goods that the Philippines imposts from China can be found in other countries.

Batongbacal added that the Philippines should also boost its fight on illegal mining.

"'Yung nickel, kahit maghigpit man lang tayo sa illegal mining, itigil natin yun, malaki yung magiging epekto sa kanila. SIgurado yan. Kasi ang daming napupunta sa kanila na galing sa mga mining operations dito. Alam nating maraming illegal," he said.

(For nickel, even if we just crackdown on that, it will have a huge effec.)t

A lawmaker earlier said diplomacy talks "will not prosper" against Beijing, most especially on their lingering presence in the West Philippine Sea.

Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said Philippines should impose "calibrated" economic sanctions on China instead.

China is considered as the Philippines largest trading partner with bilateral trade in 2021 amounting to $38.35 billion, but there is a $15.25-billion deficit with Manila at the losing end.

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The Philippines imported $26.8-billion worth of goods from China in 2021, but only exported $11.55-billion worth of products to Asia’s largest economy in the same year, data from the Department of Foreign Affairs showed.