ASEAN Beat | Security | Southeast Asia

Philippines Arrests 3 Defense Personnel Over China Spy Claims

The three arrested individuals reportedly relayed sensitive information to Beijing, including details of Philippine resupply missions in the South China Sea.

Information on the Philippines’ resupply missions in ​the South China Sea was compromised and passed on to Chinese intelligence agents, the country’s National Security Council (NSC) said yesterday.

The announcement came a day after the NSC said that it apprehended some of its citizens on suspicion of spying for China in a “serious national security matter.”

Speaking to the AFP news agency, NSC spokesperson Cornelio Valencia said that the authorities had arrested three Filipinos who worked for the Department of National Defense, the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Coast Guard. The trio allegedly provided their Chinese handlers with lists of military personnel and other sensitive information.

These included information about rotational and resupply (RORE) missions in the South China Sea, which are vital for sustaining the Philippine presence on disputed islands and shoals.

Valencia said that the breach was “alarming” but limited in scope, and that the channels used to transmit the information had been shut down, Reuters reported. “Rotation and resupply data fall under operational ​security because disclosing it can endanger personnel, and that has been compromised,” Valencia said. He added that “there could be more” arrests made.

Over the past few years, ROREs have been a focus of China’s pressure campaign against the Philippines in disputed parts of the South China Sea, particularly at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. There, Philippine marines are stationed aboard a grounded warship, BRP Sierra Madre, which is particularly reliant on regular RORE missions.

In 2023 and the first half of 2024, the China Coast Guard (CCG) made numerous attempts to block RORE missions to the shoal, resulting in tense and violent confrontations with Philippine naval and coast guard vessels. This culminated in June 2024 in a major clash that left eight Filipino sailors injured, one seriously. This prompted Manila and Beijing to establish a “provisional” agreement to allow the resupply of the Sierra Madre, which succeeded in reducing the tensions at Second Thomas Shoal.

Since then, the focus of Chinese pressure campaign has moved to other parts of the South China Sea, particularly Scarborough Shoal west of Luzon, and Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

The news follows a report by Rappler earlier this week, which claimed that over the past three years, “Chinese nationals have successfully recruited young and capable workers in the Philippine government or people close to them to gain access to the country’s top security and defense documents.” The alleged Chinese espionage campaign was apparently a response to a Philippine “transparency initiative” designed to publicize and to expose China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea, which has involved embedding journalists with RORE supply missions and other patrols in contested waters

In a statement released on Wednesday night, the NSC said it had “addressed and terminated” operations taken at “the behest of Chinese intelligence,” without offering details of the alleged espionage. It did not say how many people had been arrested, nor exactly when.

In a report published yesterday, Reuters said that its reporters had spoken with the three accused people last month “under ​an agreement with security sources on the condition that their identities not be revealed.”

One of the accused reportedly “obtained information on deployments, resupply runs and personnel rotations through a connection with a Philippine Coast Guard staffer.” They then passed the details to his contact using a phone that was issued to him, via a Tetris game containing a hidden messaging platform. According to Rappler, the “common thread” among those recruited for espionage activities, most of whom were in their mid-to-late-20s, was that they “all had financially unstable families.”

China has denied the NSC’s claims. In a statement yesterday, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng said that China “follows the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.”

“We firmly oppose and strongly deplore irresponsible remarks made by certain Philippine agencies peddling so-called ‘Chinese spy’ narratives,” Ji said. “Such accusations are malicious smears against China and yet another attempt to hype up the so-called ‘China threat’ rhetoric.”

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Information on the Philippines’ resupply missions in ​the South China Sea was compromised and passed on to Chinese intelligence agents, the country’s National Security Council (NSC) said yesterday.

The announcement came a day after the NSC said that it apprehended some of its citizens on suspicion of spying for China in a “serious national security matter.”

Speaking to the AFP news agency, NSC spokesperson Cornelio Valencia said that the authorities had arrested three Filipinos who worked for the Department of National Defense, the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Coast Guard. The trio allegedly provided their Chinese handlers with lists of military personnel and other sensitive information.

These included information about rotational and resupply (RORE) missions in the South China Sea, which are vital for sustaining the Philippine presence on disputed islands and shoals.

Valencia said that the breach was “alarming” but limited in scope, and that the channels used to transmit the information had been shut down, Reuters reported. “Rotation and resupply data fall under operational ​security because disclosing it can endanger personnel, and that has been compromised,” Valencia said. He added that “there could be more” arrests made.

Over the past few years, ROREs have been a focus of China’s pressure campaign against the Philippines in disputed parts of the South China Sea, particularly at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. There, Philippine marines are stationed aboard a grounded warship, BRP Sierra Madre, which is particularly reliant on regular RORE missions.

In 2023 and the first half of 2024, the China Coast Guard (CCG) made numerous attempts to block RORE missions to the shoal, resulting in tense and violent confrontations with Philippine naval and coast guard vessels. This culminated in June 2024 in a major clash that left eight Filipino sailors injured, one seriously. This prompted Manila and Beijing to establish a “provisional” agreement to allow the resupply of the Sierra Madre, which succeeded in reducing the tensions at Second Thomas Shoal.

Since then, the focus of Chinese pressure campaign has moved to other parts of the South China Sea, particularly Scarborough Shoal west of Luzon, and Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

The news follows a report by Rappler earlier this week, which claimed that over the past three years, “Chinese nationals have successfully recruited young and capable workers in the Philippine government or people close to them to gain access to the country’s top security and defense documents.” The alleged Chinese espionage campaign was apparently a response to a Philippine “transparency initiative” designed to publicize and to expose China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea, which has involved embedding journalists with RORE supply missions and other patrols in contested waters

In a statement released on Wednesday night, the NSC said it had “addressed and terminated” operations taken at “the behest of Chinese intelligence,” without offering details of the alleged espionage. It did not say how many people had been arrested, nor exactly when.

In a report published yesterday, Reuters said that its reporters had spoken with the three accused people last month “under ​an agreement with security sources on the condition that their identities not be revealed.”

One of the accused reportedly “obtained information on deployments, resupply runs and personnel rotations through a connection with a Philippine Coast Guard staffer.” They then passed the details to his contact using a phone that was issued to him, via a Tetris game containing a hidden messaging platform. According to Rappler, the “common thread” among those recruited for espionage activities, most of whom were in their mid-to-late-20s, was that they “all had financially unstable families.”

China has denied the NSC’s claims. In a statement yesterday, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng said that China “follows the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.”

“We firmly oppose and strongly deplore irresponsible remarks made by certain Philippine agencies peddling so-called ‘Chinese spy’ narratives,” Ji said. “Such accusations are malicious smears against China and yet another attempt to hype up the so-called ‘China threat’ rhetoric.”

Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat. 

China-Philippines maritime disputes

China-Philippines relations

South China Sea disputes

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