MANILA — The Philippine government should lodge complaints in all available platforms against China to focus international attention on its incursions in contested waters, a political risk analyst said Sunday.

Filipino fishermen and former officials last week filed a complaint before the International Criminal Court, accusing Chinese President Xi Jinping of crimes against humanity in connection with Beijing’s “systematic plan to control the South China Sea.”

The move is a “good first phase to defend the Philippines from China’s siege of the West Philippine Sea,” said Anders Corr, whose analytics firm publishes the Journal of Political Risk.

The complaint, he said, increases public awareness of the problem and focuses international attention on China’s “theft of natural resources.”

“We need more such cases in every venue possible. We should be litigating against China and what it’s trying to do,” Corr told ANC.

“Bringing these lawsuits have more than legal impact. It has a public relations impact. It brings the attention of the Philippine community and also the world community to bear on China. It takes China to the court of public opinion,” he added.

Among legal venues where the Philippines can take China are the United Nations General Assembly and the body’s Human Rights Commission, he said.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/24/19/flood-china-with-lawsuits-analyst-urges-philippines