The
Philippines said Monday it was officially investigating allegations that
Chinese embassy staff in Manila had engaged in a disinformation campaign
related to the South China Sea.
The move followed a call by the
Philippine national security adviserurging the government to expel embassy
staffers for allegedly recording a phone conversation with a senior Filipino
commander about military resupply missions to a disputed shoal.
“The Department of Foreign
Affairs will look into any reports of illegal and unlawful activities by
diplomatic officials, and undertake necessary action in line with existing laws
and regulations,” the department said in a statement Monday.
While foreign diplomats are
“accorded necessary liberties” in conducting their duties, they are expected to
perform them “with the highest standards of integrity” and professionalism, it
said.
Last week, top Philippine
defense and security officials demanded an investigation into whether China had
violated Manila’s wiretapping laws during the alleged phone call between a
Chinese official and the Filipino government military commander, Vice Adm.
Alberto Carlos, who oversees the defense of Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal,
among other contested South China Sea features.
Carlos, the head of the
Philippine military’s Western Command (WESCOM), allegedly agreed with an
unidentified Chinese official to a “new model” for arranging for notifications
of resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal, according to a transcript released by
the Chinese embassy to select news outlets.
Last week, Philippine officials
announced that Carlos had gone on leave and was temporarily replaced.
Manila maintains the BRP Sierra
Madre, an old ship grounded at Ayungin Shoal, to serve as the country’s outpost
in the contested region. It is critical because Ayungin lies near Mischief
Reef, an artificial island where Beijing built a naval base in the 1990s.
WESCOM oversees Manila’s
defense of the Palawan and Kalayaan islands, including the disputed Spratly
chain.
On Friday, a spokesman for the
Chinese foreign ministry hit back at the call from Eduardo Año, the Philippine
national security adviser, that Chinese embassy staffers be expelled.
“The Philippines’ response
shows exactly their guilty conscience in the face of facts and evidence and how
exasperated and desperate they have become,” spokesman Lin Jian said during a
regular press conference.
“We ask the Philippines to
ensure that Chinese diplomats can carry out their duty normally, and to stop
provocations and infringements,” he said. “The Philippines needs to quit
denying the facts and must not make reckless moves that will only backfire on
the Philippines itself.”
