The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines publicly thanked Philippine law enforcement agencies for their role in sending 115 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in gambling and fraud back to China, Philstar.com reported. The embassy said in a Facebook post on Saturday, November 7, that the joint repatriation took place the previous day, Friday, November 6.
The embassy called the operation "another major achievement" in the two countries' shared campaign against transnational crime, and said it was grateful for the support of the Philippine authorities involved. According to Philstar.com, the embassy also stated that cooperation between Chinese and Philippine officials since 2023 has led to more than 2,600 suspects being repatriated.
The suspects were linked to Philippine offshore gaming operators, or POGOs — firms that were licensed to run online gambling services aimed at customers abroad, many of them in China, where gambling is illegal. The embassy said China's commitment to fighting cross-border crime, including gambling and fraud, has not wavered.
Why it matters
The handover highlights how the two countries continue to work together on cases tied to the offshore gaming industry even after Manila moved to shut the sector down. The embassy said it was prepared to keep coordinating closely with Philippine authorities and to take "all necessary measures" to protect exchanges of people and trade ties between the two nations, according to Philstar.com.
The repatriation also underscores the scale of the enforcement effort that followed the Philippine government's decision to ban the industry. POGOs once brought in revenue and jobs, but some of the hubs were tied to serious crimes, including human trafficking, kidnapping, money laundering and online scams.
From a nationwide ban to continuing raids
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a nationwide ban on POGOs during his third State of the Nation Address in July 2024. He later signed Executive Order No. 74, which required all licensed POGOs and related offshore gaming operations to stop operating by December 31, 2024, Philstar.com reported.
Even with the ban in place, Philippine authorities have kept carrying out raids on illegal offshore gaming operations. The November 6 repatriation is the latest result of that continuing enforcement, and the embassy framed it as part of a broader pattern of joint action rather than a one-off event.
The 115 suspects were among more than 100 Chinese nationals whose return was reported by several outlets, including Inquirer.net, the Philippine News Agency and China Daily, all of which described the operation as a joint effort between the two countries. Philstar.com reported that the Chinese Embassy announced the figure and the date of the transfer.
A relationship that extends beyond one case
In its statement, the embassy linked the repatriation to wider bilateral interests, saying it was ready to work with Philippine authorities to safeguard personnel exchanges and economic and trade cooperation. That language suggests Beijing views the anti-crime partnership as something that supports, rather than complicates, its broader relationship with Manila.
For Philippine authorities, the operation is another marker in a campaign that has reshaped a sector once counted among the country's more visible foreign-facing industries. The ban ended licensed operations, but the persistence of illegal hubs has kept law enforcement busy and kept the issue on the agenda between the two governments.
Philstar.com reported that the embassy's statement was posted on Facebook on Saturday, a day after the suspects were flown home. The embassy did not provide further details on the individuals involved or the specific cases against them in its post as described by Philstar.com.
What to watch: whether Philippine and Chinese authorities announce further joint repatriations, and how the two governments handle remaining illegal gaming operations after the December 2024 shutdown deadline.
