Chinese tourist deported from Philippines for 'bullying' flight attendant

A Chinese man has been deported from the Philippines after a flight attendant said he was bullied before take-off in Shanghai on Friday. 

A Philippines Airlines flight crew filed a complaint against Chinese tourist Liu Biqing, 47, with Philippine immigration officers upon arrival at Manila’s international airport, leading to his immediate deportation, said the Manila Bulletin.

According to the report, Liu, after impatiently waiting for a hot towel prior, “barged into the galley and grabbed one hot towel by reaching over the shoulders” of flight attendant Josef Randall Tolentino. Liu "whisked" the towel towards Tolentino's face, splattering the flight attendant in the face.

Instead of apologising, Liu yelled and “maintained his rude and arrogant demeanor”, the Bulletin quoted flight attendant Catherine Guinto.

“Let this small act and incident show the people of China that they cannot mistreat Filipinos and get away with it,” Tolentino reportedly said, commenting on Liu's deportation.

The episode comes amid mounting tensions over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea, which has stoked nationalistic sentiment in both countries.

It also comes on the heels of another incident of air rage by a Chinese passenger. Early last month, a Hong Kong Airlines flight attendant confronted a Chinese military police officer who had demanded that a take-off be delayed so she could buy cigarettes.

China is the fourth-biggest country of origin of tourists for the Philippines. About 132,000 Chinese tourists visited the country in the first quarter, according to the national Department of Tourism.