The Chinese embassy in Manila has issued a statement in which China calls for the Philippines to ban POGOs, calling them a “social ill”.
The statement was issued on Friday the 14th of June and in it, the embassy spokesperson first states that Chinese law prohibits all forms of gambling and that the country strictly cracks down on Chinese citizens engaging in such activities abroad, which also includes POGOs. He then goes on to call POGOs “detrimental to both Philippine and Chinese interests and images, as well as China-Philippines relations.”
He further states that law enforcement agencies in both countries have maintained close cooperation in recent years and conducted multiple joint operations to combat cross border gambling and other fraudulent activities.
According to the statement, China has repatriated almost 3,000 of its citizens suspected of being involved in illegal activities since 2018. In the last year alone, the embassy claims to have assisted in the shutdown of five POGO hubs and the repatriation of nearly 1,000 Chinese citizens from the Philippines.
The statement goes on to say that most Chinese citizens are seen as victims of the POGO industry by China and that the country is committed to protecting their legitimate rights and interests. In the same breath, the spokesperson stated that China is appealing to the Philippines to ban POGOs “at an early date so as to root out this social ill”. He also opposed what he called “baseless accusations and smearing” against China in connection with these gambling and scam operations.
