Fear of ‘influx’ of Chinese students in strategic area

PHILIPPINES-CHINA

A public outcry over an alleged influx of Chinese students into a Philippine province close to what is considered a militarily sensitive area has put a spotlight on the number of Chinese students in the country.

However, universities themselves have said that the focus on Chinese students risks racially profiling international students.

The Philippine Inter-Agency Committee on Foreign Students, which includes officials from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, will hold a special meeting this week outside the regular meetings. meeting schedule to discuss the reported influx of Chinese students in Cagayan province.

Universities and higher education authorities were keen to play down the issue, which could worsen already strained relations with China after lawmakers raised the alarm that there were “more than 4,000 Chinese students” at universities in Cagayan province in the island’s north Luzon. Taiwan.

The province now hosts two military bases that can be used by US forces in the Philippines, after Manila expanded the number of such sites in April 2023. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States makes large-scale joint military exercises possible. Annual military exercises involving 16,000 troops began this week and include areas near EDCA sites. They last until May 6.

In a resolution introduced to the Philippine Congress on March 20, Joseph Lara, a representative of Cagayan, and Faustino Dy V, a representative of Isabela Province, where another new EDCA site is located, noted that “an alarming increase in the number of Chinese citizens coming to Cagayan Province as students enrolled in universities.”

Lara said the number of Chinese nationals in the province had become “highly suspicious and alarming.”

Referring to the tensions in the territorial waters of the Philippines and the South China Sea, he said: “(With) the prevailing situation in the West Philippine Sea and considering Cagayan’s strategic geographical location, the increasing number of Chinese students in the province serious concerns. for the national security of the Philippines.”

Number of students disputed

But the number of students is still unclear. While Lara referred to more than 4,000 Chinese students, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration said on April 19 that a total of 1,516 Chinese students were granted student visas in Cagayan in 2023.

“However, reports received only indicate that there are more than 400 Chinese nationals on site as the school is reportedly implementing distance learning,” the Bureau added in a statement released this weekend.

The Bureau added that the Chinese nationals were “treated legally” and had “complete documentation.” Some may also arrive later, officials said.

The number of visas for Chinese students for 2023 compares to just 20 in 2022, when, as the Bureau noted, the effects of COVID travel restrictions were still being felt. It also compares with 9,000 student visas issued to Chinese students at various institutions in the Metro Manila metropolitan region.

Jonathan Malaya, deputy director general of the Philippine National Security Council, said a team has been sent to the capital Cagayan. “Our intelligence units have been instructed to investigate the situation there. Is this a case of a threat to national security, or is this just a case of people wanting to study in the Philippines?” Malaya said this on Saturday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said last week that the AFP is investigating the “national security implications” of the reported surge of Chinese students in Cagayan.

Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval told local media that it is “only right” that intelligence agencies verify the concerns as it is a security area, although legitimate foreigners seeking to study in the Philippines should not be denied entry. she said, referring to the need to maintain balance.

The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said in a statement on April 18 that a significant number of Chinese students were enrolled in Saint Paul University Philippines (SPUP) – Tuguegarao City, in Cagayan. SPUP was granted autonomous status from CHED in 2002 and has the authority, granted by the Bureau of Immigration, to accept foreign students – the only higher education institution in Cagayan with this authority.

According to the university’s website, it is a Center for Excellence in Nursing and Teacher Education and a Center for Development in Information Technology.

CHED noted, “The foreign students are attracted by the affordable cost of quality education, the use of English as a medium of instruction, and the globally recognized quality of instruction in fields such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, public health, and engineering.”

But CHED chairman Prospero de Vera declined to comment on security issues. “As far as the security aspect is concerned, we leave the matter to the expertise of our security services to investigate and recommend appropriate measures. We will support and attend congressional investigations and other interagency meetings on these allegations. We warmly welcome this and will cooperate if any investigation is necessary,” he said in a statement.

Universities regret ‘innuendo’

A coalition of universities in Cagayan, including SPUP, Medical Colleges of Northern Philippines, University of St. Louis in Tuguegarao and University of Cagayan Valley, said in a joint statement that the only university in the province with foreign students was SPUP with 486 foreign students .

They emphasized in a social media post on April 18 that reports of 4,000 – according to some media 4,600 – were unfounded. “Contrary to reports by several media agencies, the reported number of enrolled students of 4,600 is not only grossly exaggerated but also completely unfounded,” they said.

“The current enrollment of foreign students at St Paul University Philippines (SPUP) in Tuguegarao City stands at 486 graduate students as of April 17, 2024, consisting of various nationalities (Americans, Chinese, Indonesians, Japanese and Vietnamese),” they stated. Other institutions, including the University of Cagayan Valley, the University of St. Louis Tuguegarao and the Medical Colleges of Northern Philippines, currently have no foreign students, they said.

The statement added: “The insinuation that the presence of Chinese students in the city’s universities poses a threat to national security is not only baseless but also deeply insulting.

“It is a blatant expression of racism and Sinophobia that has no place in our society, especially in the field of education.

“The suggestion that Chinese students may be involved in espionage is not only unfounded, but also reflects a dangerous stereotype that unfairly targets an entire group of individuals based on their nationality. Such accusations not only undermine the integrity of our academic institutions, but also perpetuate harmful stereotypes that have no place in a civilized society.”

The institutions also pointed out that visas for foreign students are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration, and not of the provincial or city government, and are not the responsibility of the institutions.

“The rigorous screening processes implemented by these agencies ensure that persons entering the country, including foreign students, do not pose a threat to national security,” they said.

“We are not against having foreign students, but we do fear that we have a problem with China. If there are 4,600 Chinese students at one private university and the private university even admits this, it is very alarming,” Lara said during a radio interview last week.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila said in a statement on April 18: “Individual Philippine politicians are hyping the maritime issues between China and the Philippines and exaggerating the maritime differences in the name of national security to serve their political agenda and self-interest and undermine cooperation between China and the Philippines. .”