The Philippine government should carry out "strong measures" to combat crimes related to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGO, China said on Wednesday.

In a statement, China also expressed its willingness to help the Philippines enforce its laws which are being violated by various crimes related to POGO hubs.

"China calls on the Philippines to take strong measures to crack down on crimes related to POGOs and root out the social ills in a sweeping manner," the Chinese Embassy in Manila said.

"China is willing to further cooperate with the Philippines in dealing with such situations to ensure laws are enforced and justice served," it added.

Any form of gambling, including online gambling and overseas gambling by Chinese citizens, is prohibited under Chinese laws.

The Embassy stressed that crimes induced by POGO hubs "harm not only China's interests and China-Philippine relations but also the interests of the Philippines."

"The Chinese government has always firmly opposed and cracked down on all forms of gambling," it said.

It noted that the law enforcement agencies in China and the Philippines have "maintained good communication and coordination over the past years," which "jointly carried out operations to severely crack down on cross-border gambling, telecommunications, and online fraud with tangible results."

"The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has maintained close communication and collaboration with the Philippine side in these operations to crack down on cross-border crimes and at the same time has protected the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in accordance with the law," it said.

In this year alone, the Embassy said nearly 400 Chinese citizens working on various POGO hubs in the country were sent back to China with the help of the Chinese authorities.

The Embassy said it would continue to "strengthen communication and cooperation with the Philippine government and law enforcement agencies in this regard, and jointly handle repatriation among other related issues."

Last month, the committee report of Senator Win Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee Ways and Means, which recommended the permanent ban of POGOs, gathered at least 10 signatures from his colleagues.

Gatchalian noted that based on the findings, POGO firms "failed to provide the promised economic benefits to the Filipino people."

It was September last year when lawmakers started debating whether the government should ban the POGO industry after being linked with a series of kidnappings and other crimes.

According to the Philippine National Police, at least 102 POGO-related crimes were reported between 1 January 2017, and 23 January 2023.