Philippines’ arrest of more alleged Chinese spies fuels concerns of ‘deeply entrenched’ networks
The arrests follow the detention of another Chinese national accused of spying on military and police facilities
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Thursday the five were taken into custody for allegedly conducting surveillance on a Philippine coastguard (PCG) ship in Palawan, which is strategically close to maritime flashpoints such as the Spratly Islands.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on Friday said he was “very disturbed” by the arrests.
“We are very disturbed by anyone conducting such espionage operations against our military,” Marcos Jnr told reporters.
Officials said the five men had posed as Taiwanese tourists, installing high-resolution, solar-powered cameras at a seaside resort to monitor PCG and Philippine Navy movements near the strategically located Spratly Islands.