Beijing ‘shocked’ by ‘Chinese spies’ fear of US Embassy staff
The Chinese Embassy in Manila said it was “deeply shocked” by a statement from a US Embassy staff who refused to have his passport photographed when stopped by traffic enforcers last week and expressed concern that it would be sent to “Chinese spies.”
“We have noted reports of the incident and are deeply shocked and concerned about the relevant baseless accusations against China and the so-called ‘Chinese spy’ narrative,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement over the weekend.
It said it looked forward to the final results of the investigation by Philippine law enforcement authorities.
The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, when the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT) of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) issued a temporary operator’s permit to a 32-year-old American citizen who was flagged for unauthorized use of the Edsa busway along Ortigas Avenue.
“The American driver—operating a black SUV with one passenger—was unable to present a driver’s license [and] instead showed his US passport and claimed to work at the US Embassy in Manila,” the agency said in a statement.
Illegal busway use
A video posted by the SAICT showed a male passenger from the vehicle objecting to the photo-taking of the driver’s passport, claiming it was illegal and raising concerns that it might end up in the hands of Chinese spies.
“You know what he could do, he could sell the picture of the passport to the Chinese spies … How do we know he’s not going to do that?” the passenger said.
The DOTr-SAICT said tensions rose when the passenger challenged the officer over the passport photo-taking, demanded the image be deleted and insisted on speaking to a high-ranking police official to resolve the issue before it escalated to the embassy level.
“If we have to report it to the US Embassy, we’re going [to] make an official diplomatic [action] … that he is threatening to steal US diplomatic material … I don’t want to do that,” he said.
“I would like to handle this through [the Philippine National Police]. We’re going to Camp Crame … If we can just finish this, so this stays low, that will be much better,” he added.
US Embassy statement
The US Embassy, for its part, said it was “aware of reports of an incident on Edsa regarding a member of the embassy community.”
“The US Embassy instructs all staff to obey Philippine laws, including traffic regulations,” it said in a statement.
According to the DOTr, the Edsa busway is reserved for public utility buses, emergency vehicles and clearly marked government vehicles.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority added that only vehicles of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker and Chief Justice are allowed to use the busway.
