A Chinese software engineer was arrested in the Philippines on suspicion of spying on military and police installations. The arrest comes amid heightened tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
Philippine security officials announced on Monday the arrest of a Chinese software engineer suspected of espionage activities targeting Filipino military and police installations. The arrest unfolds amidst escalating maritime disputes between the Philippines and China in the strategically vital South China Sea. The Chinese national, identified as Deng Yuanqing, was apprehended alongside his two Filipino drivers last week as part of counter-espionage operations launched the previous month.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief, Jaime Santiago, revealed during a press conference that Deng was allegedly affiliated with a Chinese university under the control of the People's Liberation Army and was part of a team tasked with conducting espionage within Philippine territory. Santiago further alleged that Deng was involved in collecting data from critical infrastructure, including military camps, government offices, power plants, police stations, and even shopping malls. He stated that Deng utilized a remote application to transmit the collected data in real time outside the country, raising concerns about the potential for compromising sensitive information. NBI cybercrime chief Jeremy Lotoc emphasized the alarming nature of this operation, noting that the transmitted data could encompass geographical coordinates and topography, potentially exploitable for military targeting. General Romeo Brawner, the Philippine military chief, echoed these concerns, stating that the information gathered could indeed be used for military purposes. The NBI's Lotoc disclosed that Deng had been residing in the Philippines for five years and was part of a larger group that included hardware engineers and a financier, who remain at large. Lotoc revealed that the group received a weekly funding of 1.5 million pesos (approximately RM117,000) through shell companies. This arrest marks the second apprehension of a suspected Chinese spy in the past year. Last year, forensic analysis of equipment seized in a previous arrest revealed images of military and police camps in Manila. Philippine police recently announced the discovery of a suspected Chinese submarine drone in waters off the central Philippines, further escalating tensions in the region
CHINA PHILIPPINES ESPIONAGE SOUTH CHINA SEA MILITARY POLICE TECHNOLOGY
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