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The Philippines has arrested three people on suspicion of espionage after they were caught with intelligence related to military installations and other sensitive sites, allegedly collected from a vehicle.

Newsweek contacted the Chinese foreign ministry and the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with emailed requests for comment.

Why It Matters

The case comes amid heightened China-Philippine tensions over a longstanding territorial dispute.

Beijing's sweeping claims encompass much of the South China Sea, including the Philippines' internationally recognized maritime zone. Clashes between the neighbors' coast guards have resulted in several Philippine injuries and raised the specter of Manila's Mutual Defense Treaty with Washington.

Further fueling anti-China sentiment is the case of Alice Guo, a mayor accused of spying for China and having links to illegal online scamming centers, often run by Chinese nationals and tied to criminal activities such as human-traff