PH, China tackle consular issues, safety of nationals in Beijing meeting

Senior diplomats from the Philippines and China met in Beijing this week to tackle pressing concerns involving their respective citizens in each other's territory.

After six years, Manila and Beijing resumed their Joint Consular Consultation on July 22 in the Chinese capital, where they discussed the "safety, rights, and welfare of their respective nationals, as well as law enforcement cooperation, trade and investment, and tourism," the Philippine embassy in China said Wednesday.

“Our relations have faced challenges, but we continue to cooperate in protecting our nationals and persist in aspiring for more people-to-people exchanges,” said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Antonina Mendoza-Oblena, head of the Philippine delegation.

Both sides acknowledged the ongoing cooperation in addressing transnational and other crimes in their countries, including illegal gambling, but the embassy declined to say, when sought for comment, if the case of the three Filipinos who were arrested last year in China on suspicion of espionage was discussed.

There was also no mention of China's recent travel warning urging Chinese students considering enrolling in Philippine schools to exercise caution due to an unstable security situation in the country. Manila protested China's advisory, calling it "incorrect, inaccurate" and a "mischaracterization" of the situation in the Philippines.

Several lawmakers and groups have raised concerns about 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.

“Law enforcement is one of the areas where bilateral cooperation can continue to flourish and where information-sharing on law enforcement can be further strengthened,” said Mendoza-Oblena, who met her Chinese counterpart, Director-General for Consular Affairs Long Zhou.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2024 ordered the banning of widespread Chinese-run online gaming operations in the Philippines, accusing some of venturing into crimes including money scams, human trafficking, kidnappings, torture, and murder.

While some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations or POGO have decreased over the months, dozens continue to operate on a smaller scale across the country and have evolved into scam centers.

The embassy said Philippine and Chinese officials highlighted the importance or engagement through the consular dialogue "to achieve improvements in managing consular cases which facilitate people-to-people relationships." –NB, GMA Integrated News