DFA verifies report of over 100 Filipinos arrested in China for alleged immigration violations

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
August 14, 2026

Photo courtesy: Philippine News Agency

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday it is verifying reports that more than 100 Filipinos were arrested in China for alleged violations of the country’s immigration laws, as tensions between Manila and Beijing over the treatment of foreign nationals continue to escalate.

In a statement, the DFA said it has reached out to the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine Consulate General in China to obtain details of the arrests and to ensure that due process was followed. The department said the Philippines stands ready to provide consular assistance to the affected Filipinos if needed.

The DFA statement came after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Filipinos in China had been apprehended and were under investigation for suspected violations of Chinese law. Guo said China’s National Immigration Administration was carrying out special operations targeting foreign nationals allegedly entering, working, and residing in the country illegally.

Asked by a reporter whether the crackdown was a response to the Philippines’ earlier detention of several Chinese nationals, Guo said the actions of Chinese immigration personnel followed standard and civil procedures, and that the rights and interests of foreign nationals in China were not being violated.

The DFA said the Philippines respects China’s sovereign right to enforce its own immigration laws, but stressed that enforcement must comply with due process and existing legal procedures. The department also called on Chinese authorities to protect the rights of the arrested Filipinos and to promptly notify the Philippine Foreign Service post of their arrest and detention, in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the 2013 Philippines-China Consular Agreement.

The developments follow a disclosure made during a Senate Committee on Economic Affairs hearing this week, where Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Executive Director Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the Chinese Embassy had allegedly threatened to arrest Filipinos in China if Manila did not release Chinese nationals detained in an earlier raid.

Acorda was referring to the arrest of 69 Chinese nationals after authorities raided the Sanjia Steel Corporation in Misamis Oriental on May 15. The facility was raided over allegations that it was using substandard steel and had radioactive materials on the premises.

Defense secretary calls China’s action “extortion” and “blackmail”

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro described China’s alleged threat as “extortion” and “blackmail” against Filipinos in China. He also condemned what he called China’s attempt to interfere in Philippine law enforcement.

Teodoro said the operation against the Chinese nationals arrested in the Misamis Oriental raid was carried out based on search warrants issued by the proper courts, and that those arrested were allegedly primarily involved in illegal business activities.

He criticized Chinese authorities for focusing on the work visas and passports of the detained Chinese nationals rather than addressing the illegal activities they are accused of.

As of this report, the DFA has not confirmed the exact number or identities of the Filipinos said to have been arrested in China, and both governments’ formal positions on the matter remain unresolved.