The Philippine Minister of National Defense, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., strongly condemned the recent immigration crackdown by the Chinese authorities on over a hundred Filipino citizens, calling it a “blatant act of extortion and blackmail” against the legitimate law enforcement efforts of the Philippines.
The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, confirmed on Monday (August 10) that the Chinese immigration authorities have carried out a special operation targeting over a hundred Filipino citizens for “illegal employment” and “overstaying,” with the actions also affecting Hong Kong and Macau.
While China claims this is a routine crackdown on foreigners for “three illegalities” (illegal entry, illegal stay, illegal employment), many believe it to be Beijing’s retaliation against the Philippine authorities. Benjamin Acorda Jr., Executive Director of the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), revealed during a hearing at the Senate on Thursday that officials from the Chinese Embassy in Manila had previously warned that if the Philippines continued to enforce laws against Chinese citizens, Filipinos in China would face similar treatment.
In response to the latest Chinese actions, Teodoro issued a statement on Thursday emphasizing that the raids conducted in May by the Philippines were lawful enforcement actions authorized by the court, and criticized China for downplaying the issue.
“We strongly condemn China’s attempt to interfere with our law enforcement processes and engage in blatant extortion against Filipino citizens. Filipinos in China have neither the intention nor the ability to violate Chinese laws, let alone on the scale of Chinese citizens committing crimes here,” he said.
This diplomatic and security friction dates back to May this year when Philippine military and law enforcement agencies conducted raids on the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation in Misamis Oriental province, arresting 69 Chinese workers without valid work permits and seizing highly toxic chemicals and radioactive scrap metal.
Due to the factory’s proximity to the construction site of a Philippine Navy dry dock and suspected ties to offshore gambling crime networks, Teodoro personally inspected and ordered the facility’s closure. In response, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions on Teodoro and his immediate family on June 12, prohibiting entry to mainland China and Hong Kong and Macau.
Teodoro further accused the Chinese authorities on Thursday of actively sheltering the implicated Chinese citizens, becoming accomplices to their illegal activities.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) released a statement, noting close coordination with the Philippine Embassy in China to verify the situation of the arrested individuals. The DFA also urged the Chinese authorities to safeguard the legal rights and welfare of the arrested Filipinos, and promptly report in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and bilateral consular agreements.