Three Filipino nationals have been arrested in China on charges of espionage. The incident has sparked concern in Manila, which issued a statement on Saturday (April 5) condemning the arrests. The Philippines claims that Beijing is harassing ordinary Filipinos in retaliation for the arrest of several Chinese nationals suspected of spying. This report comes from British news agency Reuters.
According to Chinese security officials, state-run media outlet China Daily reported that the three detainees were allegedly working for the Philippines’ intelligence agency. Their objective was to collect and smuggle sensitive and classified information about the Chinese military.
The officials claim the arrested individuals have confessed to their crimes.
However, the Philippines has strongly denied the allegations. Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the Philippines’ National Security Council, stated that the detainees are ordinary citizens without any military training. He said they were in China to study, invited by the Chinese government.
He further added that these individuals are law-abiding citizens with no criminal records. In fact, the Chinese government had completed all background checks on them before their arrival in the country.
Malaya described China’s actions as retaliatory. He accused Beijing of acting unlawfully in response to the recent arrest of multiple Chinese spies by Filipino intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Over the past three months, at least a dozen Chinese nationals have been detained by Filipino authorities. Manila has accused them of gathering and trafficking sensitive military information.
Reuters reported that attempts to contact the Chinese Embassy in Manila for comment were unsuccessful.
It is worth noting that the Philippines is among several countries that have ongoing territorial disputes with China over control of the South China Sea.