Manila, Feb. 16 -- International think-tank Stratbase Institute (Stratbase) has rejected the Chinese Embassy in Manila's claim that a strained relationship between China and the Philippines would result in millions of job losses in the Philippines.

In a statement on Sunday evening, Stratbase said China's claim is not supported by official economic data from the Philippine government.

"Official government data show that China's contribution to Philippine investment inflows is limited, while trade relations remain structurally imbalanced. Claims that diplomatic strain would automatically lead to catastrophic job losses are therefore exaggerated and not supported by empirical evidence," it said.

According to the latest data from the Bang...