BEIJING
\nChina on Thursday said it had \u201cdestroyed\u201d an intelligence network set up by the Philippine espionage agency and arrested three spies from the country.
\nThe announcement comes as the two countries continue to confront each other over disputed territory in the South China Sea and tensions mount over the Philippines\u2019 security ties with ally the United States.
\nAt least five Chinese nationals were arrested on suspicion of espionage in January and another two in February by Philippine authorities.
\nAnd the latest arrests in China come two days after Beijing\u2019s embassy in Manila issued a travel warning to its citizens about frequent \u201charassment\u201d from Philippine law enforcement agencies.
\nOn Thursday, state broadcaster CCTV reported that authorities had identified one of the suspected spies as a Philippine national who had lived and worked in China long-term and had been found conducting espionage near military facilities.
\nThe CCTV report included a video of his arrest and what appeared to be a recorded confession.
\nHe was recruited by Philippine intelligence services to \u201ctake advantage of his long-term residence in China to conduct espionage activities in China and collect sensitive information, especially on military deployment,\u201d state media said.
\nHe came close to military facilities multiple times and \u201cconducted close observation and secret photography,\u201d CCTV added.
\nThe three individuals had been recruited by the same Philippine spy since 2021 and received regular payment for their work, CCTV said.
\nThey were also tasked with \u201cassisting the Philippine spy intelligence agency in selecting and developing personnel, and expanding its intelligence network in China.\u201d
\nThey had provided \u201ca large amount of military-related and confidential video materials\u201d to Philippine agents, \u201ccausing serious harm to China\u2019s national security and interests,\u201d CCTV quoted a Chinese national security officer as saying.
\nManila\u2019s National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya told AFP the country\u2019s foreign ministry was \u201ccurrently confirming these reports and the involvement of any Philippine national, if any.\u201d
\n\u201cWe have no further comment as of this time until we are able to verify these new reports,\u201d he added.
\nAsked about the charges, Beijing\u2019s foreign ministry said it would \u201chandle the cases in accordance with the law and will also safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the relevant personnel.\u201d
\nBut spokesman Guo Jiakun also accused Manila of having \u201cfabricated several so-called Chinese espionage cases.\u201d
\n\u201cChina urges the Philippines to stop chasing shadows and pinning labels on people,\u201d Guo said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING China on Thursday said it had \u201cdestroyed\u201d an intelligence network set up by the Philippine espionage agency and arrested three spies from the country. The announcement comes as the two countries continue to confront each other over disputed territory in the South China Sea and tensions mount over the Philippines\u2019 security ties with ally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-470429","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n