Beijing’s espionage and influence operations in the Philippines
Wang Yongyi (王永义), Cai Shaohuang (蔡少煌), Wu Junren (吴俊仁) and Chen Haitao (陈海涛) were among the five 
men detained by Philippine investigators in late January.
Wang, Cai, Wu and Chen lead the Philippine China Association of Promotion of Peace and Friendship (菲律宾中华和平发展促进会), a civic group founded in 2016, and Qiaoxing Volunteer Group (菲律宾侨星志愿者服务团), another entity formed in 2022.
Wang, Cai and Chen are overseas committee members of various provincial branches of united front group All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (中国侨联). There are articles about Qiaoxing Volunteer Group on the websites of United Front Work Department of Sichuan 四川省委统战部 (sctyzx.gov.cn/scstl/202301/5) and All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (chinaql.org/n1/2022/1017/c).
According to articles posted on the official WeChat account of united front group ACFROC’s Shandong provincial branch Shandong Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (山东省侨联), Wang, Cai and Wu made donations to the city of Tarlac (500,000 Philippine pesos [~$8,600] as a municipal "poverty alleviation bursary"
[mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3_9mUBZyvrLw]) and to the police forces (10 Chinese-made Sinski motorbikes worth around $2,500 to Manila police [mp.weixin.qq.com/s/P9BxcurbuHjR] and 10 patrol vehicles to Tarlac police and the city government [mp.weixin.qq.com/s/6g6LjFbWi3ed]) via Qiaoxing Volunteer Group in 2022 and continued to host officials at events through 2024.
All five detained men regularly met military attaché in Manila, Senior Col. Li Jianzhong (李建中).
Wang, Cai, Wu and Chen were seen dining and drinking with Senior Col. Li and Manuel Mamba, a pro-Beijing provincial governor, at an award ceremony in June 2024 (mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jvEMD1VHh6hW).
In May 2024, Senior Col. Li was seen onstage during a party at an upscale Manila restaurant to mark the anniversary of the group. Nearby, Manila vice mayor John Marvin "Yul Servo" Cruz Nieto was cutting a five-tiered cake.
While civilian diplomatic officials regularly interact with civil society, it’s unusual for a defense attaché to engage in the way Li did.
In a January Lunar New Year event hosted by the embassy, all five of the detained men posed on stage with the ambassador and Li.
reuters.com/world/asia-pac
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Byron Wan
@Byron_Wan
The five nationals claimed to be tourists from Taiwan. They are believed to have engaged in aerial reconnaissance via drone operations, collecting data from the Philippines’ naval assets, among others, in Palawan province.
NBI conducted an operation on Jan 24 and 25, and x.com/Byron_Wan/stat…
Show more nationals claimed to be tourists from Taiwan. They are believed to have engaged in aerial reconnaissance via drone operations, collecting data from the Philippines’ naval assets, among others, in Palawan province.
NBI conducted an operation on Jan 24 and 25, and x.com/Byron_Wan/stat…