Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has described China's espionage network in the country as "worrisome," marking the strongest public acknowledgment yet of Beijing's intelligence operations amid escalating South China Sea tensions.
The statement, reported by Rappler, comes as Manila confronts what officials characterize as a systematic effort by China to gather intelligence on military installations, government deliberations, and infrastructure projects across the archipelago.
Teodoro's remarks follow a year of intensifying confrontations in the West Philippine Sea, where Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly blocked Philippine resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal and other contested features. The Department of National Defense has been pushing for stronger anti-espionage legislation to counter what it views as Beijing's intelligence-gathering apparatus.
The warning creates a sharp contrast with recent polling data showing China overtaking Japan as the most trusted country among ASEAN nations, according to Japan's own Ministry of Foreign Affairs survey. While Beijing gains diplomatic ground regionally, security establishments in Manila view Chinese activities with growing alarm.
Ten countries, 700 million people, one region—and for the Philippines, the challenge is navigating between economic integration with China and defending territorial claims in waters where Chinese vessels operate with increasing assertiveness.
