MANILA, Philippines (Update 5:44 p.m.) — The Chinese Embassy on Tuesday did not directly contradict a claim that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators have put the Philippines on a "tourism blacklist" but said that tourism has helped the relationship between the two countries grow and that China was the second biggest source of visitors to the Philippines before the pandemic.
The embassy also confirmed that Ambassador Huang Xilian met with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sens. Sherwin Gatchalian and Robinhood Padilla on POGO-related crimes and on areas for cooperation like renewable energy and e-commerce but did not confirm Zubiri's claim at a hearing earlier in the day of the Philippines' inclusion in a tourism blacklist.
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"[T]ourism is an important component of practical cooperation between China and the Philippines which has helped further deepen long-time friendship between the two peoples," the embassy said, adding nearly two million Chinese nationals visited the Philippines in 2019.
COVID-19, which reached Philippine shores in late January 2020, forced the country to close its borders in March and tighten border controls to keep the coronavirus from spreading further.
"We expect more Chinese tourists to come to this country after the pandemic," the embassy also said.
Chinese embassy: Gambling illegal under Chinese law
Gambling, even through Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, is illegal in China and is punishable under Chinese law, the embassy also said Tuesday as the Senate held a hearing on gambling services in the Philippines.
"According to Chinese law and regulations, Chinese citizens gambling overseas, opening casinos to attract Chinese citizens as primary customers constitute gambling crimes," the embassy said, adding criminal liability can be pursued under the Criminal Law of China.
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The embassy added that it has been "in close communication" with Philippine law enforcement, which has conducted several raids on POGOs in recent months. Government permits for POGOs have also been revoked following a string of reported crimes such as murder, human trafficking, and kidnapping.
"It is appreciated that relevant Philippine law enforcement agencies rescued a number of Chinese citizens and shut down some POGO companies during their operations," it also said.