
DFA Rejects China's Student Safety Warning, Says PH Is Safe for Foreign Nationals
In a statement, the DFA stressed that the Philippine government is actively addressing all incidents of crime—whether involving Chinese nationals or other foreigners—and that law enforcement authorities are handling these matters properly.
'All instances of crimes, including those involving Chinese and other foreign nationals as well as those perpetrated by foreign nationals against their own, are being addressed by relevant law enforcement authorities,' the DFA said.
The advisory in question was issued by China's Ministry of Education on July 18. It called on Chinese students to 'assess the security risks' of studying in the Philippines, citing rising incidents of crime, stop-and-search operations, and alleged harassment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian defended the advisory, calling it a 'legitimate measure' meant to protect Chinese students abroad. He also urged the Philippines to take more steps to ensure their safety and rights.
But the DFA countered these claims, saying they've already raised concerns over the inaccuracies in the advisory through diplomatic channels and urged China to make the 'necessary corrections.'
'The Philippine Government has been engaging with foreign embassies, including the Chinese Embassy, regarding these cases in good faith,' the DFA added, reaffirming its openness to continued constructive dialogue.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Filipino Times
6 hours ago
- Filipino Times
Marcos begins US visit, to push for stronger alliance and talks on tariff relief
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday afternoon for a three-day official visit aimed at deepening Philippine-US ties and pushing for progress on trade, investment, and security cooperation. Welcomed by Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, Marcos begins his first Washington trip under President Donald Trump's current term. He is also the first Southeast Asian leader hosted by Trump since his return to the White House in January. Malacañang said the visit reaffirms the long-standing treaty alliance between Manila and Washington, grounded in 'mutual respect, prosperity, and regional stability.' Before leaving Manila, Marcos stressed that addressing the newly raised 20% US tariff on Philippine exports is a top priority. He vowed to push for a bilateral trade agreement to soften its impact and secure long-term access to the American market. 'My meeting with President Trump is essential to advancing our national interests and strengthening our alliance,' Marcos said. 'We will reaffirm our commitment to our long-standing alliances as an instrument of peace and development in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.' A trade delegation led by Trade Secretary Cristina Roque arrived ahead of Marcos to continue technical talks with US officials on the tariff issue.


Filipino Times
6 hours ago
- Filipino Times
BI warns vs. ‘mail-order bride' schemes after foiled trafficking attempt
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned the public against the 'mail-order bride' schemes following the interception of a Filipina at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) who attempted to leave the country for an arranged marriage in China. In a statement, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said such schemes are resurfacing where suspects often deceive women with promises of a better life abroad. 'The mail-order bride trap is rising again—all promise[s] upfront, tricking women into fake marriages and exploiting them as domestic workers with little or no pay,' he added. A 24-year-old woman was stopped on July 15 by officers from the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) as she attempted to board a Xiamen Airlines flight to Xiamen, China. She claimed she was traveling with her brother to meet her Chinese husband, whom she had recently married. However, her marriage certificate had a visibly altered date, and her marriage license was issued after the reported wedding, raising suspicions. The woman later admitted that both the marriage and the documents were fake. She told authorities that a recruiter had offered her ₱8,000 and promised her a better life if she agreed to an arranged marriage with a Chinese national. The BI said the woman and her companion were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) under the Department of Justice for further investigation and assistance. Earlier this year, BI intercepted two other Filipinas at NAIA who claimed they were going to China to meet their Chinese spouses. Upon investigation, officers discovered that both were married on the same date and time as two other victims. They later admitted their marriages were also fake and arranged by a third party.


Al Etihad
7 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Shares steady, yen up as markets unfazed by Japanese politics
21 July 2025 12:33 SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters)European shares held steady and the yen firmed on Monday, as markets shrugged off the Japanese ruling coalition's defeat in upper house weekend elections and turned to focus on this week's US tech earnings and European Central Bank policy were also hoping for some progress in trade talks ahead of US President Donald Trump's August 1 tariff deadline, with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick still confident a deal could be reached with the European were reports Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were closer to arranging a meeting, though likely not until October at the earliest. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet Xi on pan-European benchmark STOXX 600 index was flat, while the UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 0.1%. The euro was 0.1% higher at $ focus was on weekend news out of Japan, where the ruling coalition lost control of the upper house in an election on Sunday, further weakening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power as a tariff deadline vowed to stay on, which along with a market holiday, limited the reaction. The yen was 0.5% firmer at 148.065 to the dollar and up 0.3% against the euro."The loss was within the range of expectations, and actually the outlook was even more pessimistic," said Nissay Research Institute chief economist Tsuyoshi Ueno."In terms of negotiations with the US, it is easy to doubt whether a government with such a weak foundation is reliable as a negotiating partner," he added. "For the Bank of Japan, if there is political instability, it will be difficult to raise interest rates, and pressure on the yen will continue."The BOJ still has a bias to raise rates further, but markets imply little chance of a move until late the Nikkei was shut, futures traded at 39,885, up on the cash close of 39,819. MEGA CAPS KICK OFF S&P 500 futures edged 0.2% higher, while Nasdaq futures were up 0.3%. U.S. indexes are already around record highs in anticipation of more solid quarterly earnings are gearing up for a host of big tech company results this week, including Google owner Alphabet, Tesla and IBM."They are going to be key for sentiment because frankly there's not a lot else to drive things," said Michael Brown, senior research strategist at Pepperstone."We saw the banks deliver decent results last week, so you'd certainly be looking for the big tech names to keep up with that to reinforce the bull case (for equities)," he also expect upbeat news for defence groups RTX , Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. Higher government spending around the globe has seen the S&P 500 aerospace and defence sector rise 30% this year, while defence stocks in Europe have also hit record tech news, Microsoft issued an alert about "active attacks" on server software used by government agencies and businesses, urging customers to download security euro zone government bond yields eased ahead of euro zone PMI data and the European Central Bank meeting later this week, at which it is expected to leave rates at 2% following a string of euro dipped 0.5% last week, moving off a recent near-four-year top of $1.1830. The dollar index was a fraction lower at Treasury yields fell, leaving the yield on the benchmark 10-year note down 4.5 basis points at 4.286%. Bonds got a boost late last week after Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller repeated his call for a rate cut this of his colleagues, including Chair Jerome Powell, have argued a pause is warranted to judge the inflationary impact of tariffs and markets imply almost no chance of a move in July. A September cut is put at 61%, rising to 80% for reticence on rates has drawn the ire of Trump who threatened to fire the Fed chief, before backing down. The spectre of a potential political appointee who would seek to ease policy sharply has investors on edge. In commodity markets, gold firmed 0.5% to $3,365 an ounce , with all the recent action in platinum, which last week hit its highest since August 2014. Stock Markets Continue full coverage