CHINA ARRESTS 3 FILIPINOS SUSPECTED OF SPYING

CHINA on Thursday said it had arrested three Filipinos on suspicion of spying.

The arrest came after seven Chinese nationals – five in January and another two in February – were arrested in the Philippines on espionage charges.

Citing an anonymous official from China’s Ministry of State Security, the Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday that the three Filipinos were found to have handed over “sensitive material” about China to a Philippine contact.

Xinhua reported that the three had confessed to the charges against them while the case remains under investigation.

The latest arrest in China comes two days after the Chinese embassy in Manila issued a travel warning to its citizens.

The announcement of the arrest of the three Filipinos also 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.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)  said it is prepared to assist the three Filipinos who were detained in China allegedly due to spying activities.

However, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the military has yet to receive any official report on the status of the detained Filipinos from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

“The AFP recognizes the significance of this matter. As it falls under the purview of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), or DMW we defer to their expertise and mandate. The AFP remains ready to support as needed,” she said.

Padilla said the DFA has been verifying the status of the detained Filipinos through appropriate diplomatic channels.