MANILA: The Philippine government voiced concern on Saturday over the recent arrest of three of its nationals in China on espionage charges, suggesting the move could be in retaliation for Manila’s recent crackdown on alleged Chinese intelligence operations.
According to a report by China Daily, the three Filipinos were taken into custody for allegedly collaborating with Philippine intelligence agencies to gather sensitive information about China's military. Chinese authorities claimed the individuals had admitted to the charges.
However, the Philippines’ National Security Council (NSC) strongly denied the allegations, asserting that the three individuals were ordinary civilians who had traveled to China through an educational exchange program between Hainan province and Palawan. The program was established through a formal agreement between the two provinces, which lie across from each other in the disputed South China Sea.
“These Filipinos were scholars, not spies,” said NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya. “They have no military background or training, no criminal records, and were fully vetted by Chinese authorities before entering the country.”
The Chinese embassy in Manila has yet to respond to media inquiries regarding the incident.
Tensions have been running high between Manila and Beijing, especially in light of recent maritime confrontations in the South China Sea. In the past three months, Philippine law enforcement has apprehended over a dozen Chinese nationals suspected of gathering intelligence on key defense installations and infrastructure.
Malaya suggested the arrests of the three Filipinos could be a retaliatory gesture by Beijing. “These developments are possibly linked to the Philippines’ lawful actions against suspected Chinese spies operating within our territory,” he stated.
The South China Sea remains a major flashpoint in regional geopolitics. China’s sweeping maritime claims overlap with the exclusive economic zones of several Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines. A 2016 international tribunal ruled against China’s claims, but Beijing has refused to accept the verdict.
