China urged the Philippines on Wednesday, January 22, to stop spreading baseless accusations following the recent arrest of a Chinese national suspected of espionage activities in Luzon.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, stated in a press conference that Beijing expects its citizens to follow local laws and regulations. Mao also called on Philippine authorities to protect the rights and welfare of Chinese nationals in the country.
The arrest, disclosed on January 20 by military and law enforcement officials, involved a Chinese national and two Filipino companions accused of conducting surveillance on military and civilian facilities, including areas with Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites.
According to Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Francel Magareth Padilla, the Chinese suspect, identified as Deng Yuanqing, allegedly spent over a month mapping strategic locations across northern Luzon to the Bicol region. Deng, who has lived in the Philippines for more than a decade and is married to a Filipina, was arrested at a condominium in Makati City on January 17 along with his companions.
Authorities confiscated items including a vehicle equipped with advanced locator and mapping devices capable of pinpointing coordinates with centimeter-level precision.
The Bureau of Immigration confirmed Deng’s frequent travel in and out of the Philippines since 2015. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado announced that Deng would remain in custody while local cases against him are resolved, ruling out deportation for now.
