China on Thursday said it had “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.
The arrests in China came two days after the Chinese embassy in Manila issued a travel warning to its citizens about frequent “harassment” by Philippine law enforcement agencies.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that authorities had identified one of the suspected spies as a Philippine national who had lived and worked in China long-term and had 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 and collect sensitive information, especially on military deployments.”
He came close to military facilities multiple times and “conducted close observation and secret photography,” CCTV said.
The three individuals had been recruited by the same Philippine spy since 2021 and received regular payment for their work, CCTV said.