The Philippines is investigating more alleged Chinese espionage, with the arrest of six more Chinese nationals and one Filipino in Subic Bay in mid-March. Since then, China has named the three alleged Filipino spies it arrested earlier in Hainan Province and released video of them being questioned. Manila contests the allegations, saying the individuals are scholarship students with no links to crime or intelligence. The Philippine National Security Agency said the confessions were coerced to support China’s claims and made references to a nonexistent Philippine agency. Does Beijing intend to exchange the three Filipinos for the Chinese suspects held in the Philippines? How does the threat of more Filipino arrests affect Manila’s investigations into Chinese espionage?
