Sinophobia among Philippine officials? China’s travel advisory spurs reflection
The advisory comes after incidents of harassment of Chinese citizens and a series of espionage and online gaming crackdowns by Manila
In the advisory issued on Tuesday, the embassy cited incidents of harassment and inspections of Chinese citizens and businesses, along with the increasing number of political gatherings and protests in the Philippines, as risks faced by Chinese nationals.
“Public security in the Philippines has been unstable, with frequent incidents of law enforcement authorities harassing and inspecting Chinese citizens and enterprises,” the embassy said in a statement translated to English.
The embassy provided no specific cases, but the advisory came in the wake of the arrest of Chinese nationals for espionage in the Philippines following a crackdown by the local police and military, and a clampdown on the now-banned offshore gaming hubs or so-called Pogos, patronised mostly by Chinese visitors.
In January, authorities detained five Chinese nationals for allegedly posing as Taiwanese tourists to spy on the Philippine coastguard and navy in Palawan – an island facing the South China Sea.
That same month, security forces arrested Chinese national Deng Yuanqing and two Filipino associates for allegedly mapping over 120 key sites on Luzon, including ports and US-accessible military bases.