There may be too much fear of China-fear, as inadvertently suggested by this South China Morning Post headline: “Philippines urged to avoid ‘sensationalising’ arrests of Chinese nationals amid Sinophobia fears” (February 1, 2025).
Suspicions about spies
“Don’t sensationalize,” “Don’t dramatize,” and “stop with the cold-war mentality” are kinds of thing that CCP propagandists say to victims who object to being skull-hammered and groin-kicked by the CCP. In this case, the advisory comes from “Chinese-Filipino leaders,” who are asking Philippine authorities “to exercise caution in ‘sensationalising’ the recent arrests of Chinese nationals in the country for alleged espionage, warning it could fuel suspicion and discrimination against their community.”
“Sensationalizing,” here, may mean “reporting on” or “doing something about.”
Observers warn that amplifying such claims without solid evidence risks inflaming anti-Chinese sentiment, hurting tourism and politicising national security. They say a measured approach is needed to ensure fair investigations while preventing unnecessary paranoia.
Officials announced on Thursday that five Chinese nationals had been arrested in Palawan for allegedly conducting surveillance on a Philippine Coast Guard ship near the Spratly Islands.
Perhaps reasonable people understand the difference between “anti-Chinese” sentiment and “anti-CCP” or “anti-Chinese-government” sentiment. Perhaps unreasonable people cannot, or will not. But one can’t neglect to report on urgently relevant facts or do something about those facts because of the use that unreasonable people may make of them.
What would be a “measured approach” to catching spies spying for China in the act? Wouldn’t it include arrests and further investigation? Wouldn’t it include letting the public know what is going on?
Sure, be cautious. Don’t round people up at random.
Regtechtimes reports: “The Philippines has arrested five Chinese nationals on charges of espionage, just weeks after a similar arrest…. The suspects allegedly used high-tech equipment, including drones and solar-powered cameras, to record activities at several military locations, including a naval base, coast guard station, air base, and a dockyard in Palawan province. These locations are crucial to the Philippines’ defense efforts in the disputed region. The Philippine military expressed serious concerns about the security risks posed by this surveillance.”
Concern
The Philippine military has expressed serious concerns.
One concern pertains to whether there are more Chinese spies spying on Philippine military bases than the ones that have been discovered so far. In addition to the recent five caught in the act of spying, three others were arrested earlier: a “Chinese software engineer named Deng Yuanqing [and] two Filipino associates.”
As it turns out, the five men arrested last week were allegedly meeting with Deng once a month. They were reportedly acting under the instructions of a mysterious “foreign national” in China. However, Philippine authorities have not yet confirmed who is receiving the intelligence these spies were gathering.
China’s spying on the Philippines, years-long ramming of Philippine ships and otherwise endangering Philippine lives in the South China Sea, cyberattacks on the Philippines, and whatever other ways China is aggressing against the Philippines all add up. Seems like cause for concern.
Is the Philippine government “sensationalizing” the problem? Or are the CCP and its allies in the Philippines willfully and with malice aforethought downplaying the problem?
