200 Chinese Arrested! Philippines Takes On China, 150 Chinese Teachers Make Urgent Exit

150 Chinese teachers working across the Philippines began leaving in groups to return to China in late September this year. They feared being accused of involvement in espionage. Their departure has drawn attention as already strained relations between the Philippines and China face renewed tensions. The departures were triggered by investigative reports published in March and July this year by Ray Powell, director of the U.S. think tank SeaLight. The reports revealed close ties between the Philippine Chinese Education Research Center, or PSERC, and the Chinese Communist Party's United Front apparatus. The center coordinates more than 100 Chinese language schools in the Philippines. It has long brought teachers from China to work there and sent Filipino students of Chinese descent to Chinese universities, including Jinan University for training. At an earlier seminar hosted by Jinan University's Philippine Studies Center, Scholars affiliated with the CCP asserted that Batanes, the northernmost island group in the Philippines, was part of China, challenging Philippine sovereignty. In 2025, the center also worked with the Philippine Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China to organize an essay contest marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The contest was accused of being part of an information campaign targeting Japan and Taiwan. Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. later warned the public to stay alert to cultural and educational exchanges linked to China. Teodoro said United Front Work is central to CCP's strategy. He warned that foreign-funded academic exchanges are highly likely to serve as a cover for establishing footholds and gathering intelligence. He emphasized that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had directed intelligence and law enforcement agencies to take evidence-based action against malicious activities. He also urged the public to avoid fueling hostility toward foreigners or prejudice against the Chinese communities in the Philippines. The Chinese embassy in Manila and Chinese community organizations issued statements denying the Philippine accusations. Embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng called them a malicious smear against educational exchanges between China and the Philippines. The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and PSERC said the teachers were recalled because parents in China were concerned about their children's safety. They said the decision had been approved by the Chinese embassy and relevant authorities. Public records show that PSERC launched a program to bring in Chinese language teachers in 1991. It recruited teachers from China through overseas Chinese affairs office to work in the Philippines. Over more than 30 years, it has applied for nearly 5,000 teacher placements at more than 80 Chinese language schools. The center also runs a program to develop local teachers, by sending students from Chinese-language schools in the Philippines to Chinese universities for Chinese-language education training. Vice President of Kainan University in Taiwan, Chen Wenjia, said the teachers' voluntary withdrawal reflects a rapid decline in trust between China and the Philippines. It also shows that the CCP's efforts to expand its influence abroad through education are facing a political backlash. Chen said the Philippines has become more alert in recent years to China's influence through education, Chinese community affairs, and people-to-people exchanges. It worries that the CCP could use some of these channels to gather intelligence, shape public opinion, or carry out united front work. Of course, the CCP denies this and accuses the Philippines of smearing it. But once educational exchanges become highly politicized, trust is hard to maintain. From an educational standpoint, these partnerships are understandable. From a national security standpoint though, an education network backed by the Chinese government over many years with a steady flow of personnel and institutional support naturally raises concerns in the Philippines. Lin Song, who holds a doctorate in political science from the University of New South Wales in Australia, said, many of the teachers volunteer because they want to see other countries. The CCP takes advantage of that desire, trains them, and sends them abroad. Behind it is CCP infiltration. They can recruit people in other countries and build ties with the CCP. I think the Philippines has done very well. It is alert to CCP infiltration. As Chinese teachers at Chinese language schools returned home, the Chinese Commercial News in the Philippines reported on October 5th that Chinese volunteer teachers at several Confucius institutes were also returning to China over safety concerns. The Philippines currently has five Confucius institutes. Chen said, if only teachers at Chinese language schools were leaving, this could be seen as a straightforward diplomatic or security issue. But now, Chinese volunteer teachers at Confucius Institutes are also returning to China, making the nature of the issue clearer. For years, the CCP has promoted cultural diplomacy through Confucius Institutes, teacher exchanges, and scholarships. The original goal was to improve its image internationally. But when educational activities become linked to political influence, united front work, or even security concerns, they can have the opposite effect. The teachers' collective departure is part of broader pattern. As maritime disputes have intensified in recent years, the Philippines has taken an increasingly firm stance toward the CCP. Recent reports say Philippine authorities launched a major operation against Philippine offshore gaming operators, known as POGOs, in the country's south. They arrested 244 foreign nationals, the vast majority of whom are Chinese citizens. On October 3, local time, the Intelligence Division of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration joined the National Bureau of Investigation or NBI and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Zamboanga Sibugay Province. The operation targeted illegal offshore online gambling. Authorities arrested 113 foreign nationals in CA, including 110 Chinese citizens. Another 131 foreign nationals were arrested in Alicia, also mostly Chinese. Seized equipment included 78 computers, more than 3,000 cell phones, laptops, and mobile SIM card equipment. The Bureau of Immigration said officers also seized large amounts of technical equipment, some of which they believe had been used for online fraud. Conditions at the sites pointed to organized illegal online operations. The Philippine government immediately launched a detailed investigation into those arrested. Authorities are checking whether they held work visas and had legal immigration status. They're also investigating possible involvement in illegal Pogo operations, human trafficking, and other crimes. Authorities are separately examining whether the case involved human trafficking. The Philippine government ordered a ban on Pogo operations in 2024. In 2025, it passed the Anti-Pogo Act, banning offshore gambling and the establishment or operation of Pogo sites. The Bureau of Immigration said the 244 foreign nationals arrested would face deportation proceedings over suspected immigration violations. If deportation orders are issued, their names will be placed on the Bureau's blacklist, barring them from re-entering the Philippines. In May this year, Philippine military, police, and law enforcement personnel searched the Philippine Sanja Steel Corporation in Masimas Oriental. They arrested 69 Chinese workers without valid work permits and seized highly toxic chemicals and radioactive scrap metal. The factory was next to a Philippine Navy dry dock under construction and was suspected of links to a Pogo criminal network. Teodoro personally inspected it and ordered it sealed off. The CCP then took retaliatory action. On August 10, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that Chinese immigration authorities had taken enforcement action against more than 100 Filipino citizens for what they called illegal employment and overstaying. The actions also extended to Hong Kong and Macau. In response, Teodoro issued a statement stressing that the May searches in the Philippines were lawful and authorized by a court. He criticized China for sidestepping the central issues. Teodoro said, the action against 100 Filipinos is plain and simple extortion and blackmail. We strongly condemn both the attempt by China to interfere in our law enforcement processes and the blatant blackmail against Filipinos. The Philippine National Security Council or NSC issued a statement on March 4th this year confirming that authorities had uncovered a major espionage operation directed by CCP intelligence agencies. All those involved were Filipino citizens. They had admitted taking part in espionage and were cooperating with investigators. NSC spokesperson Cornelio Valencia Jr. said information about Philippine resupply missions in the South China Sea had been leaked and obtained by CCP intelligence operatives. He said three Filipino citizens had been detained. One of those accused said he was initially a junior employee at the Department of National Defense. A Filipino woman he knew contacted him and offered to pay him to write commentary articles for her. Her requests grew over time. She began asking for information about the South China Sea and the department's bilateral cooperation with Philippine allies, including the United States. Information about those allies may have also been leaked. He said he did not initially realize he was working for CCP agents. He later became suspicious but found it hard to stop because he needed the money. He continued from 2023 through 2025. China and the Philippines have repeatedly clashed over the South China Sea in recent years, prompting the Philippines to step up counter-espionage efforts. Over the past year, authorities have arrested several Chinese citizens involved in espionage, including agents who had operated undercover for years. On January 17, 2025, for example, Philippine law enforcement arrested Deng Yuanqing, a graduate of China's Army Engineering University. The NBI described him as a control engineering specialist who had lived in the Philippines for five years and belonged to a group under surveillance. His vehicle carried advanced equipment capable of creating 3D maps of military camps, power plants, government offices, and shopping malls without entering the buildings. One of the most high-profile cases in the Philippines in recent years involved former mayor Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, who was sentenced to life in prison late last year. She drew widespread attention over suspected espionage for the CCP. In November 2025, she was convicted of human trafficking in the Philippines for her role in operating a telecommunications fraud center. Guo was originally a Chinese citizen and moved to the Philippines with her family as a teenager. She used forged ID, including a birth certificate, to pose as a Filipino citizen. She was elected mayor of Bamban in 2022. In 2024, Philippine authorities raided a large pogo compound in Bamban where she was mayor. They uncovered a large online fraud center inside and rescued hundreds of Filipinos and foreign nationals who were forced to carry out scams. The reported number of workers there ranged from 700 to 800. She owned most of the land in the compound. She also actively sought to infiltrate Philippine politics. The Guo case is considered one of the country's most closely watched espionage cases and further strained relations between the two countries. On January 27, 2026, 15 of the Philippines' 24 senators co-sponsored Resolution No. 256. It condemned the Chinese embassy in the Philippines for attacking and naming Philippine officials and lawmakers on social media. The full Philippine Senate formally adopted the resolution on February 9, 2026. That same day, the local government of Calayan in Palawan Province in the disputed South China Sea passed a resolution accusing Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan of violating diplomatic protocol. It declared him persona non grata. The Philippine government's recent actions and firm stance have also unsettled many Chinese people living there, a vlogger said in a recent video. Chinese people in the Philippines need to pay attention. The Bureau of Immigration has officially announced an extension. Foreign nationals have received any of these three types of official documents, have until November 30th to resolve their cases. If they miss the deadline, deportation proceedings will begin immediately. The vlogger warned that these three documents have completely different meanings. Misunderstanding any of them could cost you your legal residency status in the Philippines. The first is a BOC order cancelling a visa. If it is not addressed promptly, your residency status becomes invalid and you become an undocumented resident. The second is an OTO, or order to leave by a specified deadline. The Bureau of Immigration provides a grace period for voluntary departure, allowing you to leave on time and with dignity. The third is a BLO or blacklist order, often issued over irregularities in documents. It mainly targets people who have long used company-sponsored visas without a genuine employment relationship or who have falsified documents. Missing the deadline could lead directly to a formal investigation. He urged Chinese people who had received these documents to review their status immediately. He told them not to delay or wait until they were blacklisted to take action. A prominent entrepreneur from Shanghai now living in exile in the United States Hu Liren, recently discussed tensions between China and the Philippines. He said the Philippines had arrested many CCP agents, along with numerous other Chinese nationals. He said most were involved in illegal businesses such as fraud, money laundering, casinos, and loan sharking. Hu said that despite some disorder, the Philippines remains a country with a relatively strong rule of law. He called it the most westernized country in the East. He said many people only know that it is relatively poor, has a large service sector workforce, and has abundant marine resources, without recognizing this other side of the country. He said the CCP has taken advantage of disorder in the past to send large numbers of people into the Philippines to infiltrate it. While it had gained access to some criminal groups, it had never managed to control the country. He described the Philippines as the country resisting the CCP the most forcefully in Southeast Asia and one of its most difficult opponents. He identified four reasons. First, it has U.S. backing. The Philippines was once a U.S. colony. The two countries have had very close ties and a mutual defense treaty. Hu says this keeps the CCP from launching a direct attack on the Philippines. Second, it has a strong military tradition. Hu said Filipinos are skilled fighters who fought fiercely against Japanese forces during World War II and also fought a war of independence. Third, it is economically independent. Hu said the Philippines does not depend economically on the CCP, which he considers crucial. Finally, there is a consensus on taking a firm stance toward the CCP. Hu said the Philippines is now taking the initiative rather than tolerating its actions, and will immediately respond if the other side makes a move. In his view, the Philippines and Japan are the countries in Southeast Asia are the Asian countries most willing to confront the CCP directly. He said Japan, however, still feels some guilt over its past invasion of China and sometimes treats the CCP more leniently. He said the Philippines takes a different approach. Hu said the dispute between the Philippines and China centers on the Scarborough Shoal and the South China Sea. He said Scarborough Shoal had been held by the Philippines before the CCP took control during Barack Obama's presidency. He said President Donald Trump now wants to break through this corridor in East Asia to eliminate CCP influence. Hu said he has long believed the South China Sea is the most likely location of the CCP's first future military conflict. Hu said Japan's strong military makes it difficult for the CCP to break through the first island chain. He also dismissed the prospect of an attack on Taiwan. In his view, Taiwan is the safest place in the world because it is backed by the United States and protected by the Taiwan Relations Act. He said U.S. strategy across Asia revolves around Taiwan. Taiwanese military personnel train in the United States, while U.S. service members help with training in Taiwan. He said the CCP would never risk attacking Taiwan unless it had thoroughly infiltrated its government. Discussing the South China Sea, Hu said the CCP had no basis for asserting ownership of everything within its nine-dash line. He attributed the assertion to its desire for the sea's abundant resources and strategic importance. He said its determination to control the entire South China Sea has led to act irrationally and left it unable to back down. The Philippines had begun a major crackdown on CCP intelligence networks this year, taking a very firm stance. Who highlighted these developments? 1. Drone operations. Oversight in the Philippines has been weak as drone technology was emerging. CCP drones flew throughout the country, marking military sites and other key facilities. After discovering this, Philippine authorities began large-scale arrests of CCP personnel who had infiltrated government institutions. Two, tackling official corruption. Hu said corruption persists in some parts of the Philippines and some officials have been bought off by the CCP, but he said the situation is changing with authorities working to root out CCP infiltration within the government. Three, the consulate dispute. The Philippines came close to expelling Chinese consular personnel last year. Hu said this showed it was no longer concerned about sparing the CCP embarrassment and was prepared for a complete rupture in relations. 4. Joint military exercises. The Philippines is also actively participating in joint drills with countries including Japan, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Hu concluded that these actions show the Philippines understands its position. If the United States and China go to war in the South China Sea, it would be on the front line. He said the Philippines may already be making preparations for such a conflict.