
According to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the suspects worked under the guise of autonomous vehicle developers and used the technology to collect and transmit sensitive information. One of the detainees, Deng Yuanqing, a Chinese citizen and software engineer, had ties to a university linked to the People’s Liberation Army of China. The spy group equipped their cars with surveillance equipment to collect topographical data, images of objects and strategic areas that could be used for military purposes;
The NBI seized equipment containing maps and video footage of key locations and confirmed that the data could be accessed remotely over the Internet. After this incident, security will be increased at all military bases in the country. This is the second case of the arrest of suspected Chinese spies in the Philippines. Last time they collected information on military and police facilities in Manila.
The latest incident comes amid rising tensions between the two countries over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. At the same time, in early January, it was reported that Philippine government institutions were hacked by Chinese hackers who had been stealing confidential data for several years.
This situation underscores the need to strengthen the Philippines’ national security and implement strict cyber security measures to protect critical infrastructure from espionage. Tensions between the Philippines and China continue to rise, and both countries need to be better prepared.