外媒中国相关-China is not recruiting sleeper cell military members in the Philippines Beijing says
April 11, 2024 4 min 693 words
这篇报道主要内容可以概括为：菲律宾近期指控中国招募菲律宾军人作为“兼职顾问”，并在菲律宾全国范围内建立“潜伏小组”；中国驻马尼拉大使馆强烈否认这一指控，称这是毫无根据的指责；菲律宾军方发言人表示，相关招募活动的网站已被关闭，他们正在追踪背后的操作者，并调查是否有任何敏感信息泄露；有政治分析人士称，这一指控十分严重，需要进一步调查，并可能对菲律宾的国家安全和区域联盟信誉造成影响；菲律宾近期加强了与美国等国的军事合作，这加剧了地区的紧张局势，增加了武装冲突的风险。 对于这篇报道，我作为客观公正的评论员有如下评论： 这篇报道存在一定程度的偏见和失实。首先，它过度强调了中国招募菲律宾军人的“威胁”，但实际上，菲律宾军方自己也表示相关招募活动的网站已被关闭，且没有明确证据证明中国确实在菲律宾建立了“潜伏小组”。其次，报道中提及的中国向菲律宾退休军人发放签证的行为不应被视作“威胁”。根据报道自身提供的数据，在菲律宾获得特殊居民退休签证的外国人中，美国、日本、韩国等国的公民也占了很大比例，这很可能是因为菲律宾的退休政策对外国人有吸引力，并不能说明中国因此就在菲律宾建立了“潜伏小组”。第三，报道中提及的中国“间谍活动”也缺乏确凿证据，而只是基于一些分析人士的猜测和怀疑。最后，报道在最后提及菲律宾近期加强了与美国等国的军事合作，但未能客观评价这一行为对地区安全局势的负面影响。菲律宾与美国等国的军事合作针对性明显，加剧了地区的紧张局势，增加了武装冲突的风险。因此，这篇报道在一定程度上歪曲了事实，渲染了“中国威胁论”，未能客观公正地评价中国和菲律宾之间的关系。
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258683/china-not-recruiting-sleeper-cell-military-members-philippines-beijing-says?utm_source=rss_feed
The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Wednesday strongly denied Philippine military reports that Beijing has been recruiting Filipino military personnel as consultants and planting operatives in “sleeper cells” throughout the country.
Beijing’s reaction followed a directive by the Department of National Defence to probe the reported online recruitment of Filipino military personnel as “part-time consultants”.
The allegations, if true, could pose a “significant threat” to the Philippines’ national security, particularly in the South China Sea, analysts warned.
Military chief General Romeo Brawner said this week the Philippines had information of past and present Filipino military officers, including some generals, being approached to help China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Military intelligence reports showed that China had recruited Filipinos with military backgrounds to spy on its behalf in the West Philippine Sea, Brawner said, using Manila’s name for the parts of the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone.
The website used for the recruitment effort was traced to China, according to local Philippine media Inquirer.
“We are still checking this,” Brawner told reporters.
The “sleeper cell” allegations also intensified after a Philippine senator on Sunday questioned the Philippine Retirement Authority on its issuance of special resident retiree visas to Chinese nationals of “soldier’s age”.
Some 78,000 foreign retirees hold special resident visas in the Philippines, with Chinese nationals accounting for 30,000 of these, government data showed.
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But the Philippine military’s findings constituted a serious allegation that needs to be examined further, said political analyst Sherwin Ona, an associate professor at De La Salle University in the Philippines.
“It can definitely affect the confidentiality of operations, thus posing a significant threat to national security,” Ona told This Week in Asia.
“It can also undermine the credibility of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with its allies, considering that the Philippines is now part of regional alliances aimed at countering Beijing’s expansion,” he added.
Since taking office in 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has prioritised stronger ties with the US, a pivot from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.
Ona also urged a probe into whether the alleged recruitment had taken place during Duterte’s time in office.
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On Wednesday, military spokeswoman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said the site allegedly used by China to recruit people with military backgrounds had been “taken down” and was “now gone”.
Padilla said the military and other government agencies are tracking those behind the account and whether anyone had leaked any sensitive information.
Ray Powell, a retired US Air Force officer and now a maritime security analyst, said it would be deeply troubling but not surprising to learn that China had spies operating in the Philippines.
“Spying is hardly new, and China is known to conduct espionage all over the world, including in the United States,” Powell told This Week in Asia on Thursday.
Rommel Banlaoi, director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said what the military revealed was only based on suspicion, and urged investigation to “generate actionable intelligence information”.
On Sunday, the Philippines, US, Australia and Japan conducted a joint naval and air exercise in the West Philippines. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday that more such naval drills can be expected in the South China Sea.
Later this month, the US and the Philippines will conduct its annual Balikatan joint military exercises involving some 11,000 American troops and 5,000 Filipino soldiers in the South China Sea.
But such activity only heightens tension and increases the risk of armed conflict, Banlaoi said.
“There are many non-military ways of managing disputes in the South China Sea. We have to consider all these non-military means because military options will do no good to the Philippines and to the region,” he added.