The Department of National Defense (DND) criticized Beijing on Sunday, August 16, for side-stepping core questions regarding the law enforcement operation and detention of Chinese citizens in Misamis Oriental.
Defense Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong rejected the Chinese Embassy’s pushback to Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr.’s comments concerning the May raid on the Sanjia Steel Corp. facility in Tagoloan.
“The Chinese Embassy’s response does not contain any answers. Instead, it is full of questions and rhetoric,” Andolong said, quoting Teodoro’s position.
“This is a classic example of evasiveness and a badge of deception. This is in legal practice an implied admission of culpability,” he added.
The DND’s remarks followed Teodoro’s condemnation of a Chinese warning suggesting Filipinos would “bear the brunt” of worsening diplomatic relations, which the defense chief characterized as “extortion and blackmail” directed at ordinary citizens.
The fallout stems from the May operation where 69 Chinese nationals were taken into custody. Authorities cited environmental infractions alongside the detection of radioactive elements inside imported scrap metal at the site.
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng dismissed Teodoro’s claims as “completely unfounded,” arguing the defense chief attempted to “distort the facts and turn black into white.”
“Is Teodoro a national defense chief or a police chief? Why did he have a hand in the law enforcement operation? What is he up to? Is that part of his portfolio?” Ji said, questioning the directive for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to support the raid.
The embassy questioned why line-level workers were detained instead of facility executives, and why local Filipino employees were freed while Chinese workers remained in custody. Beijing also raised concerns over transporting the detainees to Manila aboard military aircraft and claimed the workers were held in overcrowded five-square-meter cells housing 13 people per room.
Furthermore, Chinese officials accused local authorities of violating bilateral agreements by denying consular notifications and visits, adding that valid passports and work visas were promptly submitted to law enforcement.
Embassy officials questioned why individuals were detained for up to 32 days and disputed Teodoro’s assertion that missing documentation signaled human trafficking.
“Does this meet the legal definition of human trafficking under Philippine law? Are all foreign workers employed at factories in the Philippines required to carry their passports at all times?” Ji remarked.
The embassy referenced a May 28 local prosecution resolution directing complaints to undergo further investigation while ordering the release of the foreign nationals unless held for other legitimate legal reasons.
Diplomatic tensions escalated further after Chinese authorities arrested over 100 Filipinos in Beijing for overstaying or working illegally. Teodoro framed the arrests in China as retaliation linked to the Misamis Oriental steel plant bust, a claim Beijing denies.