Wife of Chinese national held in Philippines denies he is a spy

MANILA - The Filipino wife of a Chinese national arrested recently in the Philippines for alleged espionage denied on Jan 27 that her husband was a spy, saying he worked for a company specialising in self-driving cars.

Philippine law enforcers arrested Mr Deng Yuanqing

and two Filipinos on suspicion of espionage on Jan 17 after seizing equipment they alleged was used to survey facilities that include military bases and key infrastructure.

It is not clear how Mr Deng has responded to the accusations. China’s embassy in Manila has said the allegations were “baseless”. 

The suspect’s wife, Ms Noemi Deng, told a press conference her husband was conducting surveys for a firm that specialises in self-drive cars. 

“I can only say one thing: he is not a spy,” she said, unable to give further details as she left midway through the briefing. 

His arrest came at a time of mistrust and maritime rivalry between China and the Philippines and as Manila boosts its security ties with defence ally the United States. 

Ms Deng said she’s been married since 2014 to Deng, who she met through a Chinese social networking app. 

She’s not in a position to provide details about the company that her husband worked for, she said.

A lawyer who accompanied Ms Noemi at the briefing criticised the local authorities’ handling of Deng’s case, characterising it as “trial by publicity”.

“It will strain relations between China and the Philippines,” lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said.

The Philippines’ justice ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Philippines and China are embroiled in a maritime dispute in parts of the South China Sea that’s led to several encounters between the two nation’s ships over the past year.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has pushed backed against China’s expansive claims over the waterway, angering Beijing. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG