Sixty-three telecom fraud suspects, repatriated from Southeast Asia, arrive at an airport in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 26, 2019, under the escort of police. The suspects are part of a group of 73 people caught in a joint police operation earlier this month. The suspects allegedly made phone calls to people on the Chinese mainland cheating victims out of money in dozens of cases involving more 5 million yuan ($730,000). (Photo: China News Service)

The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines maintains close communication and cooperation with the Philippine side in operations to crack down on cross-border crimes, cracking down on three illegal offshore gambling parks and promptly repatriating nearly 400 Chinese citizens back to China after identity verification so far this year, a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said on Wednesday.

In recent years, the law enforcement agencies of the two countries have maintained good communication and coordination, jointly carried out operations to severely crack down on cross-border gambling, telecommunications and online fraud with tangible results. The embassy at the same time has protected the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in accordance with the law, the spokesperson added.

Since the beginning of 2023, the frequent occurrence and significant losses caused by telecom fraud cases related to false investment and financial management have caused public concern in China. Therefore, China and Southeast Asian countries have vowed to protect people from gambling fraud and related crimes through joint special operations.

To combat cross-border telecom fraud, police forces of China, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos also launched a special joint operation, with the aim of combating telecommunications fraud and online gambling crimes, according to media reports.

The Chinese government has always firmly opposed and cracked down on all forms of gambling. According to Chinese laws, any form of gambling, including online gambling and overseas gambling by Chinese citizens, is illegal, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said in the statement.

Crimes induced by online gambling harm not only China's interests and China-Philippine relations, but also the interests of the Philippines, said the spokesperson, adding that it was discovered during the law enforcement cooperation that some illegal offshore gaming employees abused Philippine judicial procedures by fabricating cases in the Philippines to avoid repatriation. 

The Chinese side is willing to further cooperate with the Philippines in dealing with such situations to ensure laws are enforced and justice served. Meanwhile China calls on the Philippines to take strong measures to crack down on crimes related to  Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and root out the social ills in a sweeping manner. 

The Chinese embassy will continue to strengthen communication and cooperation with the Philippine government and law enforcement agencies in this regard, and jointly handle repatriation among other related issues.

Since 2022, procuratorial organs across the country have prosecuted telecommunications fraud and its associated criminals in strict and full-chain manner in accordance with the law, prosecuting over 50,000 people for telecommunications fraud and over 30,000 people for illegally crossing borders.

Global Times