[International] From South China Sea Dispute to Steel Plant Crackdown: Sino-Philippine Officials' Confrontation Widens
RtiTalk 小編2h ago
Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has recently sought to "reset" Sino-Philippine relations. However, the front line of verbal exchanges between Philippine government departments or officials and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines' social media platforms continues to expand, escalating from the original South China Sea dispute to domestic law enforcement issues.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) of the Philippines and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines have recently traded accusations regarding the crackdown at Sanjia Steel, which occurred in May this year. The scope of the dispute has broadened to sensitive issues such as the treatment of Chinese workers, consular protection, and the involvement of the Philippine military in law enforcement.
PAOCC emphasized today (21st) that the action at Sanjia Steel was a law enforcement operation based on a court search warrant, jointly executed by multiple government agencies. It was not targeted at any specific nationality. PAOCC criticized the Chinese Embassy's related posts on Facebook as "false and distorted," attempting to shift the main focus of the case.
PAOCC claimed that the crackdown found the factory's steel quality to be poor, with concerns of radioactive contamination and unsafe working conditions. Additionally, there were immigration and labor issues, including a lack of basic protective equipment for Filipino workers while foreign workers were provided with complete protective gear.
The Chinese Embassy questioned the Philippine side's "discriminatory law enforcement" in a Facebook post on the evening of the 20th, stating that 70 Chinese workers were detained, while hundreds of Filipino workers in the same factory were not subjected to the same measures.
PAOCC responded that the visas, work status, and legal responsibilities of workers of different nationalities may differ, and therefore, the Philippine side cannot be accused of "selective law enforcement" based on this.
The dispute originated from a raid by the Philippine side on Sanjia Steel, located in the southern region, in May. At that time, 70 Chinese nationals were detained. Following the incident, the Chinese Embassy lodged representations with the Philippine side, questioning why the law enforcement operation was led by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro. The Philippine Department of Justice later determined that there was insufficient evidence in the case, and the Chinese workers were subsequently released.
The Sanjia Steel case has also led to multiple public confrontations between the Chinese Embassy and Teodoro. The Chinese Embassy has repeatedly questioned the reasonableness of the Philippine side mobilizing military resources for the crackdown, while Teodoro has repeatedly defended the action and accused the Chinese Embassy of attempting to cover up illegal activities within the factory, interfering with Philippine law enforcement, and retaliating by arresting Filipino workers in China.
In the past, public exchanges between Philippine and Chinese government officials primarily focused on the South China Sea dispute. In addition to Teodoro, the Chinese Embassy and the spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Jay Tarriela, have also frequently clashed on social media recently.
Tarriela has recently used puns in his Facebook posts, referring to the Chinese Embassy's Deputy Spokesperson Guo Wei as "Go Away." The Chinese Embassy, in turn, altered Tarriela's surname to "TariLIEla," using the word "LIE" to accuse him of frequently lying.
After meeting with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian in July, Marcos Jr. stated his hope to "reset" Sino-Philippine relations and seek improved bilateral interactions. On August 14th, he further explained that "resetting" includes reducing the intensity of the language used in bilateral exchanges.
However, the verbal exchanges between the Philippine Department of National Defense, the Coast Guard, and the Chinese Embassy have not ceased and have now expanded to include PAOCC. Observers believe that Sino-Philippine friction may be entering a phase of multi-front coexistence. (Editor: Song Wanyuan)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=227661
How does this article make you feel?
0 people reacted