Getting to the bottom of Beijing’s supposed covert operations in the Philippines will be at the top of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo’s agenda during the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos.
On Friday, Manalo assured that he will raise the issue with China, whose representatives will be present at next week’s summit.
The top diplomat was reacting in part to a recent Al Jazeera documentary wherein a supposed whistleblower,
She Zhijang, claimed that he worked as a spy for China’s Ministry of State Security.
In the documentary, the former spy made a bold allegation that Guo Hua Ping, also known as Alice Guo, was involved in Chinese intelligence activities in the Philippines.
He claimed that Guo, whose family allegedly has ties with the Communist Party in Fujian province, worked at the behest of China’s intelligence agency.
It can be recalled that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier came to the conclusion that the dismissed Bamban mayor and Chinese national Guo Hua Ping are the same person based on fingerprint records and documents of her arrival to the Philippines in 2003.
In response, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesperson Teresita Daza told reporters that the department had reviewed the documentary alleging China’s espionage activities in the Philippines.
She said the department is closely monitoring espionage reports together with relevant government agencies, specifically surrounding the Alice Guo case, emphasizing that national security remains a key priority within its mandate.
“The Department has noted press reports containing relevant information on alleged foreign covert operations in the Philippines in accordance with its mandate to help protect national security,” Daza added.
