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Philippines detains five Chinese nationals over Espionage allegations

Philippine security officials announced on Thursday the detention of five more Chinese nationals, after the earlier arrest of a Chinese man for espionage earlier this month. The series of arrests comes amid escalating tensions between the Philippines and China over disputed territories in the strategic South China Sea.

Last week, two men were arrested at Manila airport after allegedly conducting surveillance on Filipino naval and government vessels supplying military garrisons in the disputed Spratly archipelago. The suspects, each with a drone and a high-resolution solar-powered camera, have reportedly recorded the activities at the naval base, a coast guard station, an air base and a dockyard in Palawan province, said Manila’s police chief, Jaime Santiago.

This concern has also become a national security threat, according to the Philippine military chief, General Romeo Brawner: “If this information falls into the wrong hands, it could be very dangerous for our personnel at the base and those on our ships.”

The detained suspects posed as marine product buyers or even members of legitimate organizations to carry out their activities. Two other Chinese men were also arrested in Manila and another in Dumaguete, also last week.

These arrests follow the capture this month of a Chinese software engineer Deng Yuanqing and his two Filipino associates accused of spying on military and police installations. These allegations have, however, been denied by the Chinese embassy here in Manila.

According to NBI cybercrime unit chief Jeremy Lotoc, a witness testified that Deng met with the five detained suspects every month, on instructions from an unidentified “foreign national” in China. Brawner warned against jumping to conclusions that the spying was state-sponsored since law enforcement authorities have yet to determine who could be receiving the intelligence information being collected. “This is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg; many more could be caught engaging in these activities,” he warned.

Some have been living in the Philippines since 2002, “and reportedly have no records of past crimes,” according to immigration bureau spokesperson Dana Sandoval. The five suspects were presented, handcuffed together, along with the “military-grade” surveillance equipment confiscated from them during a press briefing presented by security officials.

China claims most of the South China Sea, despite an international court ruling that said these claims have no legal basis. The Chinese embassy in Manila has not commented on the latest arrests but earlier called allegations against Deng “baseless speculation.” It has asked for consular access to those detained and called on the Philippines “to take seriously the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the Philippines.”.

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