China accuses the Philippines of ‘selective and discriminatory’ Chinese arrests
Embassy urges the Philippines to protect ‘personal safety and legitimate rights’ of detainees after 24 Chinese nationals arrested on Monday
Beijing has accused Manila of “selective and discriminatory” law enforcement against Chinese nationals, demanding case-by-case briefings following a string of arrests and detentions by Philippine authorities.
The statement urged Manila to handle the cases fairly in accordance with the law, safeguard the rights and safety of the Chinese nationals involved, and promptly release those found not to have violated Philippine law.
“It must be emphasised that while China respects the Philippines’ judicial sovereignty and law enforcement in accordance with the law, it firmly opposes selective and discriminatory enforcement targeting Chinese citizens,” the statement said.
The embassy urged Philippine authorities to handle the cases “properly and in accordance with the law” as soon as possible, while warning against “abuse of power or political manipulation” and calling for the “personal safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals” to be protected.
The remarks came after 24 Chinese nationals were arrested on Monday in a joint operation led by immigration authorities and the Philippine Army.
Philippine officials said the raid in Panabo, a city in the province of Davao del Norte, was based on intelligence reports alleging that foreign nationals in the area were engaged in unauthorised work and using questionable immigration documents.
The incident is one of several involving Chinese nationals in the Philippines over the past two months.