In May, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs declared that the country would step up checks on visa requirements for Chinese nationals in wake of numerous fraudulent applications received in embassies and consulates in China.
According to the Philippine Star, Jesus Domingo, the department’s undersecretary for civilian security and consular affairs, said: “There are a lot of fraudulently acquired visas. We are urging our (diplomatic) posts to have a renewed tourism drive but we are looking at more quality tourists and not Pogo (workers).
“Our reforms are aimed largely at better security. There will be (fewer) instances of unsavory people coming in to commit heinous crimes against their fellow Chinese.”
Suspicious applicants were caught when authorities discovered they lacked financial means to remain in the Philippines as tourists. There were also cases where agents tried to bribe the consular staff.
With the new stricter requirements, applicants, both individuals and group tours, now have to present proof of financial capacity, bank statements, employment certificates, and social security documents issued by the Chinese government, as part of the visa application process. Individuals will have to go for an interview as part of the new visa application process.
Domingo said there were currently about “thousands or more” overstaying Chinese tourists in the Philippines. He added that the government is balancing business, tourism promotion and national security but admitted tour operators might face challenges to adjust.
In 2023, the Philippines unveiled e-visas for Chinese nationals in an attempt to woo more tourists, but suspended them within three months because of “technical issues.”
China is one of the major sources of foreign tourists for the Philippines, with just under two million foreign tourists in the first four months of 2024, up 16.8 percent from a year earlier, based on official data.
The Philippines’ decision to tighten visa issuance for Chinese nationals is likely to provoke a retaliatory response from Beijing, as both countries have traded barbs over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and a rise in Chinese residents in Cagayan province.
While official declarations have maintained that the recent visa policy targets offshore gaming hubs infamous for illegal and clandestine crimes enticing Chinese tourists, the very timing of the visa revisions have prompted suspicions that this move could be a possible attempt to counter Beijing’s clout in the region amid heightened bilateral tensions.
For some time already, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has been exhorted to cancel a program that has permitted thousands of Chinese and other foreign nationals to convert their tourist visas into student visas yearly, as critics fear the number of student visas granted to Chinese nationals is a source of concern as some of them could be acting as “agents of the state” contrary to the interests of the Philippines.
The government is also mindful of Chinese workers in the country, including those employed by Beijing’s state-run firms dealing with public infrastructure projects, participating in potential “covert economic and information activities” to influence public opinion amid Sino-Philippine tensions in the South China Sea.
Almost 16,200 Chinese nationals who entered the Philippines as tourists were issued student visas by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) in 2023. In April, the BI issued a warning stating that foreigners holding student visas may have to undergo probes by government intelligence agencies if suspected of participating in illegal activities. The warning came amid worries about rising numbers of Chinese students staying in areas near military installations, airports and seaports, a matter of key national concern amid the ongoing Sino-Philippine maritime dispute in the South China Sea.
Robert Ace Barbers, House Committee on Dangerous Drugs chairperson and Surigao del Norte representative, declared: “In today’s setting, this particular power by the BI can be abused. This arbitrary power to convert visas is the worst legalized scheme that can be used by unscrupulous personnel for monetary gain. The 16,200 student visas that the BI granted to Chinese nationals in 2023 is simply unacceptable. Never mind if other countries grant more, we should never use that as our yardstick given our tense relationship with China.”
Photo credit: iStock/ mirsad sarajlic
