The Chinese Embassy in Manila has denied the existence of “sleeper cells” in the Philippines, labeling the accusations as “baseless” and “malicious.”
Reacting to a report of the recent arrest of two Chinese nationals for possession of high-powered firearms in Pasig City on Oct. 16, the embassy, in a statement issued Friday, said “[s]ome 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 strongly oppose and condemn such baseless allegations and malicious spreading of disinformation,” it added.
The embassy said China has “always adhered to the principle of non-interference” in the internal affairs of other countries.
According to the embassy, they have taken note of the details of the case and are now working with the Philippine authorities to combat transnational criminal activities.
Although, the statement did not identify anyone, the embassy said the “irresponsible words and deeds of the relevant Filipino individuals” run counter to the consensus of President Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping that maritime differences should be put in a proper place and managed through discussions.
It added that these create “disruption to the diplomatic efforts.”
In a newspaper column on Oct. 24, former Interior and Local Government chief Rafael Alunan III said the recent arrest of two Chinese nationals indicates “China’s malevolent intentions by pre-positioning clandestine forces for future action.”
As this developed, China and the United States held “candid” talks on maritime issues on Friday, including on the contested South China Sea, and the American side underscored its concerns about “dangerous and unlawful” Chinese actions there, the US State Department said.
Such actions included China’s obstruction of an Oct. 22 Philippine resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal and its “unsafe” intercept of a US aircraft on Oct. 24, the statement said.
The talks took place in Beijing between the State Department’s China Coordinator Mark Lambert and China’s Director-General for Boundary and Ocean Affairs Hong Liang, the State Department said in a statement.
The meeting follows recent high-level diplomacy ahead of an expected meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the mid-November APEC summit in San Francisco.