China denies placing Philippines on tourism blacklist
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 9:18 a.m.) — China denied Tuesday that the Philippines is on its tourism blacklist after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri claimed that Beijing has restricted Chinese tourists from coming to Manila due to the continued operation of offshore gaming firms.
“The report of 'tourist blacklist' is misinformation. China has not placed the Philippines on its blacklist for tourism,” the Chinese Embassy in Manila said in a statement.
The categorical denial came hours after Zubiri claimed “that the Philippines now is part of a blacklist of tourist sites,” citing a conversation with Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian during their meeting at the Senate on Monday.
Speaking to DZBB on Wednesday, Zubiri maintained that Huang mentioned of a blacklist during their meeting with Sens. Sherwin Gatchalian and Robinhood Padilla.
"'Di naman ako nagsisinungaling kasi ang dami namin sa room," Zubiri said. "Siguro, nagkamali siguro iyong ambassador. Baka hindi niya ibig sabihin na blacklisted tayo ngayon, baka posibleng ma-blacklist tayo."
(I am not lying because we were many in the room ... Maybe the ambassador made a mistake. Maybe he meant to say that we might get blacklisted not we are blacklisted.)
He added, "Hindi gawa-gawa po namin 'yan. 'Yang salitang blacklist ay galing po sa ating ambassador. Bakit niya babanggitin ang word na blacklist kung wala pong katotohanan na maba-blacklist tayo kung magtutuloy ang POGO sa ating bansa?"
(We did not make that up. The word blacklist came from the ambassador. Why would he mention the word blacklist if there is no truth that we can get blacklisted if POGOs will continue in the country?)
Huang posted on his Facebook page that among the issues he discussed with Zubiri, Gatchalian and Padilla was cracking down on crimes related to Philippine offshore gaming operators.
Hours later, the Chinese Embassy came out with a statement neither denying or confirming Zubiri’s claim, but instead said that “we expect more Chinese tourists to come to this country after the pandemic.”
Gatchalian told reporters separately that the blacklisting of the Philippines is not yet in effect and that Huang only warned that the continued operation of POGOs could negatively affect tourism in the country.
China’s culture and tourism ministry has referred to the existence of a tourism blacklist at least three times since it was first announced in August 2020. This was when it said it will impose travel restrictions on specific areas that were “endangering the personal and property safety of Chinese citizens.” This blacklist has yet to be made public.
China is among the top sources of tourist arrivals to the Philippines, with Chinese residents accounting for 1,257,962 arrivals in 2019, according to data from the Department of Tourism. Arrivals from China dropped to 22,236 this year. — Xave Gregorio with a report from News5/Maeanne Los Baños
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