Chinese Communist Party arrests Filipino student on espionage charges, Philippines denies.

On Saturday, April 5th, the Philippines accused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of arresting three Filipino citizens, claiming they were ordinary people studying in China and not engaging in espionage activities as the CCP alleged. This arrest incident may be Beijing’s retaliation against recent Manila efforts to crack down on CCP spy operations.

According to CCP state media, the “China Daily,” earlier this week, cited national security officials reporting that Beijing accused these three Filipinos of working for the Philippine intelligence agency, attempting to gather CCP military secrets, and claimed that the three had confessed.

Reuters reported that the National Security Council of the Philippines refuted the Chinese claims, stating that these three individuals were beneficiaries of a scholarship program established through an agreement between Hainan Province and Palawan Province in the Philippines.

Jonathan Malaya, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, stated in a release, “They are ordinary Filipino citizens without military training, who were simply studying in China at the invitation of the Chinese (CCP) government.”

He added, “They are law-abiding citizens with no criminal record, and had already undergone screening and review by the Chinese (CCP) government before going to China.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Both Hainan and Palawan are located near the South China Sea. Due to overlapping sovereignty claims in this strategic waterway between China and the Philippines, conflicts have occurred multiple times over the past two years. Meanwhile, CCP espionage incidents in the Philippines have been escalating.

Malaya pointed out, “This arrest incident can be seen as CCP’s retaliatory action against the Philippines’ recent lawful arrests of CCP spies and accomplices.”

In the past three months, the Philippines has arrested at least 12 Chinese citizens, including five individuals detained on January 3, on charges of espionage, illegally obtaining sensitive military and infrastructure data, and threatening national security. According to the Philippine Bureau of Investigation, these charges could carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The CCP, however, refutes these accusations as a “smear campaign.”

Reuters reported that the five individuals arrested on January 3 had met with CCP military attaché Li Jianzhong at least once in the weeks leading up to their arrest.

According to a 2024 investigation report by Peninsula TV, She Zhijiang, wanted by Beijing, claimed to have been recruited by the CCP in the Philippines in 2016 to engage in espionage activities for the CCP’s security department. He also revealed that he and former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo were both CCP security personnel. Guo, who was elected in 2022, was arrested in Indonesia in September 2024 and brought back to the Philippines. She is currently under investigation by the Senate and Congress for involvement in illegal gambling and CCP agent activities.

The CCP has asserted extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China’s claims had no basis in international law, but Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling.