Chinese Embassy denies Beijing’s ‘sleeper cells’ spying in Phl

The Chinese Embassy in Manila denied allegations that Beijing is "prepositioning sleeper cells" or undercover to conduct spying on the Philippines' activities.

The embassy's spokesperson reacted following the recent arrest in Pasig City of heavily armed Chinese nationals whom a former Philippine government official referred to as "clandestine agents from China."

"We have taken note of the relevant reports and details of the case. The Chinese Embassy is working with the Philippine law enforcement authorities to investigate the said case to jointly combat transnational criminal activities," the embassy official said.

The official added, "Some individuals with ulterior motives took advantage of an isolated case and blew things out of proportion by making groundless accusations against China and the Chinese people."

"We have also noted that the NBI officer working on this case pointed out that—there's no truth that this is part of the plan of the Chinese to create a destabilization plot in the country," the embassy further stated.

In his column published last 24 October, former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III said that the high-powered firearms and other items seized from the foreigners are a sign of "China's malevolent intentions by pre-positioning clandestine forces for future action."

The Chinese embassy accused some Filipino officials have "went as far as disseminating such highly irresponsible remarks, dramatizing and hyping up maritime differences, vilifying the performance of normal duties and exchanges of Chinese institutions and personnel, and even inciting racial hatred and sowing Sinophobic sentiments."

"We strongly oppose and condemn such baseless allegations and malicious spreading of disinformation," the official said, adding that "China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries."

The embassy said China "has always been dedicated to properly handling differences through dialogue and consultation, so as to preserve stability in the South China Sea."

"The irresponsible words and deeds of the relevant Filipino individuals run counter to the consensus of our two heads of state that maritime differences should be put in a proper place and well managed through dialogue and consultation, thus creating disruption to the diplomatic efforts," the spokesperson added.

The embassy official called on the "Philippine side will work in the same direction with China and follow through on the consensus between the two heads of state so as to jointly safeguard our bilateral relations and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea."

The Manila-Beijing relations were put under the spotlight of the international community after China's increased aggressive assertions over the entire South China Sea, which overlaps Manila's exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.