Deng
MANILA: The Filipino wife of a Chinese national accused of espionage said her husband is not a spy, in a case that comes against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions between the Philippines and China.
Deng Yuanqing (pic), along with two local companions, was arrested on Jan. 17 by Philippine authorities on alleged espionage. Authorities found navigational equipment in his car, which they said Deng had used to travel for over a month to access areas near critical infrastructure and military camps in the main Luzon island.
Deng was engaged in surveying roads for self-driving cars, his wife Noemi Deng said in a briefing in Manila on Monday. "He is not a spy,” she said, unable to give further details as she left midway through the briefing.
She said she’s been married to Deng, whom she met through a Chinese social networking app, since 2014. She’s not in a position to provide details about the company that her husband worked for, she said.
A lawyer who accompanied Noemi at the briefing criticized 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 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. - Bloomberg
