Sinophobia is Chinese government’s fault — Teodoro
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Wednesday, April 23, blamed the Chinese government for fueling Sinophobia in the Philippines.
This came after China issued a travel advisory warning its citizens of possible harassment, following a crackdown on alleged Chinese spies in the country.
“If ever there is Sinophobia, gawa ng overreach ng Chinese Communist Party and of [Chinese President] Xi Jinping,” Teodoro said in a chance interview with the media.
This overreach is felt not only around the world but also among its own citizens, Teodoro said, adding that it has led to a loss of trust, even toward ordinary Chinese individuals.
“So napakalaking disservice ng ginagawa ng gobyerno nila. Komunista at Leninista yan, ganoon talaga ang regime,” Teodoro said.
(It is a big disservice, what their government is doing to them. They are Communists and Leninists, that is how their regime is.)
“The dictatorship of the party, that is what is important to them,” Teodoro added in a mix of English and Filipino.
The Philippines has denied targeting Chinese citizens, saying that all are welcome to the country, except for criminals.
Following a string of arrests of alleged Chinese spies, Beijing arrested three Filipino citizens who were residing in the country.
The National Security Council (NSC) believed that this could be an act of retaliation from the legitimate arrests that the Philippines made on alleged Chinese agents.
Chinese espionage
While Manila and Beijing have been locked in sovereignty disputes over the West Philippine Sea, suspicion over covert Chinese operations in the country was taken to a whole new level in 2024 with the case of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.
Guo, who was able to secure a local executive position, was revealed to have dubious birth records in the Philippines during a Senate hearing on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).
The National Bureau of Investigation determined that Guo is Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping. The former mayor has been accused of being a spy for the Communist Party of China.
Guo’s false birth records sent authorities on a tailspin in 2024, tracing hundreds of fake birth certificates to foreign nationals. The government is still probing these spurious birth certificates.
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