PH protests 'inaccurate' China travel advice for students

The Department of Foreign Affairs has protested China's travel warning urging Chinese students who are considering to enrol in Philippine schools to exercise caution due to the unstable security situation in the country, calling the advisory incorrect and inaccurate.

In a statement on Sunday, the DFA said the travel bulletin issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education on July 18 "mischaracterizes the situation in the Philippines."

"The Department has conveyed its concerns regarding the inaccuracies in the advisory issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education through diplomatic channels. It is hoped that the Chinese side will undertake the necessary corrections," the DFA said.

The Chinese advisory warned that the "security situation in the Philippines has been unstable recently, with a surge in crimes targeting Chinese nationals."

It added: "Incidents involving local law enforcement harassing and inspecting Chinese nationals and enterprises have occurred frequently."

Chinese students should "carefully assess safety risks and to strengthen their awareness and precautions when considering pursuing study in the Philippines," the advisory said.

Some lawmakers last year have expressed concerns on the influx of Chinese students in the northern Philippine province of Cagayan, which hosts two military bases that can be used by American troops under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between Manila and Washington.

It was not clear how many Chinese nationals are enrolled in Philippine schools, but previous media reports said the number could be between 400 to 4,600. The Chinese embassy could not confirm this.

The DFA maintained that "all instances of crimes, including those involving Chinese and other foreign nationals as well as those perpetrated by foreign nationals against their own, are being addressed by relevant law enforcement authorities."

At the same time, Philippine officials are closely in touch with foreign embassies, "including the Chinese Embassy, regarding these cases in good faith," it said.

"The Philippines remains committed to constructively discussing matters of mutual concern?with China," the DFA said.

The Philippines and China are locked in years-long territorial disputes over parts of the resource-rich South China Sea.

Manila largely won a landmark case against China’s massive claim in the waters before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, but Beijing does not recognize the ruling.

Chinese Coast Guard, Navy and suspected militia ships have had an alarming number of confrontations with Philippine Coast Guard, Navy and Bureau of Fisheries patrol ships in the disputed waters, where Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also lay claims.

China has deployed a much larger number of ships from its coast guard, navy and suspected maritime militia ships in the past years in the South China Sea to assert its extensive claim against smaller claimant states. — Michaela del Callar/RF, GMA Integrated News