BEIJING – China on April 3 said it “destroyed” 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’ security ties with its ally, the United States.
At least five Chinese nationals were arrested [on suspicion of espionage](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippines-probing-network-of-hundreds-of-alleged-chinese-spies) in January and another two in February by Philippine law enforcers.
The latest arrests in China come two days after the Chinese embassy in Manila issued a travel warning to its citizens about frequent “harassment” from Philippine law enforcement agencies.
On April 3, state broadcaster CCTV reported that the Chinese authorities identified one of the suspected spies as a Philippine national who has lived and worked in China long-term and has been found conducting espionage near military facilities.
The CCTV report included a video of his arrest and what appeared to be a recorded confession.
He was recruited by Philippine intelligence services to “take advantage of his long-term residence in China to conduct espionage activities in China and collect sensitive information, especially on military deployment”.
He came close to military facilities multiple times and “conducted close observation and secret photography”, CCTV said.
The three individuals were recruited by the same Philippine spy in 2021 and received regular payment for their work, CCTV said.
They were also tasked with “assisting the Philippine spy intelligence agency in selecting and developing personnel, and expanding its intelligence network in China”.
They provided “a large amount of military-related and confidential video materials” to Philippine agents, “causing serious harm to China’s national security and interests”, CCTV quoted a Chinese national security officer as saying. AFP
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