Philippines’ arrest of more alleged Chinese spies fuels concerns of ‘deeply entrenched’ networks

Five more Chinese nationals accused of espionage have been arrested in the Philippines, fuelling concerns that foreign spy networks are “deeply entrenched” in the country.

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 told reporters.

The arrests come just over a week after authorities presented another Chinese national arrested on suspicion of espionage, Deng Yuanqing, to the public.

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.