MANILA, Philippines — China told the Philippines on Wednesday, January 22 that it should cease spreading groundless accusations about the recent arrest of a Chinese national alleged to have engaged in espionage activities in Luzon.
Beijing's foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said at a press conference that China has always required its nationals to abide by local laws and regulations.
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The Chinese official urged Philippine authorities to safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the Philippines.
Military officials and law enforcers revealed on Monday, January 20 the arrest of one Chinese national and two Filipinos for allegedly engaging in espionage. They are accused of conducting surveillance operations in military and civilian facilities, including areas where Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites are located.
The Chinese national, identified as Deng Yuanqing, reportedly spent more than a month starting December 2024 mapping locations from northern Luzon to the Bicol region, said Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Francel Magareth Padilla at a press conference on Tuesday, January 21.
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Deng has reportedly lived in the Philippines for over a decade and is married to a Filipina.
The Bureau of Immigration said on Wednesday that Deng has traveled in and out of the Philippines since 2015.
Deng will not be deported until all local cases filed against him have been resolved, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.
The Chinese national and his two Filipino companions were arrested at a condominium in Makati City on January 17. Among the confiscated items was a vehicle equipped with locator and mapping devices capable of determining coordinates as precise as a centimeter. — Cristina Chi