The US is concerned with blacklisted Chinese firm's hand in island-building near its Manila embassy

abcnews.go.com:

The United States has expressed concerns over major land reclamation projects in Manila Bay, where its heavily secured embassy sits on one edge

MANILA, Philippines — The United States has expressed concerns over major land reclamation projects in Manila Bay near its heavily secured embassy due to the involvement of a Washington-blacklisted Chinese company, the U.S. Embassy said Wednesday.

Embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay said the U.S. also expressed its concerns over the potential environmental impact of the reclamations in Manila Bay in discussions with Philippine government officials.

Environmental groups have staged protests against the yearslong government-approved reclamations, mostly by real estate companies seeking to build islands on which to anchor upscale hotels, casinos, restaurants and entertainment centers in a bay long notorious for pollution. Others worry that high-rise buildings built on reclaimed land would block ordinary folks' view of Manila Bay’s famous sunset.

«We have expressed concerns about the potential negative long-term and irreversible impacts to the environment, the resilience to natural hazards of Manila and nearby areas, and to commerce,” Gangopadhyay said in a statement.

»We are also concerned that the projects have ties to the China Communications Construction Co., which has been added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List for its role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea,” he said.

There was no immediate comment from Chinese government officials.

Chinese companies that have been placed on the list are restricted from trading with any U.S. firms without gaining a nearly unobtainable special license. China