China urges 'severe punishment' for killers of citizen in Philippines

China has urged the Philippines to find and "severely punish" the killers of a kidnapped Chinese citizen in a case that has led to a diplomatic intervention by Beijing.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said it had been informed a few days ago that the person had been kidnapped in the Philippines, and it assisted the family in reporting the case to the Philippine National Police's Anti-Kidnapping Bureau.

It also intervened through diplomatic channels to ask for a rescue and that measures be taken to ensure the person's safety, according to a statement from the embassy on Tuesday.

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But the person was eventually killed, along with a Chinese-American who had also been kidnapped, the embassy said. Neither victim has been identified, and authorities in the Philippines have not commented on the incident.

"We urge the Philippines to intensify efforts to investigate the case, capture and severely punish the murderers as soon as possible," China's embassy said in the statement.

One of the victims was an international marketing director of Hong Kong-listed company Raimed Medical Limited, and the other worked as a distributor for a cardiovascular medical device company, Yicai Global, a financial news outlet under Shanghai Media Group, reported, citing a source. Raimed has not commented on the incident.

The two people travelled together to the Philippines on a business trip around June 20 and were killed on June 24, after the family of one of the victims paid a ransom of 3 million yuan (US$412,600), according to Chinese media reports.

On Monday, China's ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, met with Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who is also chairman of the Presidential Commission on Anti-Organised Crime, to discuss joint efforts to combat kidnapping and murder, telecoms fraud, human trafficking and crimes related to the offshore gaming industry in the Philippines. They agreed to strengthen law enforcement cooperation to fight transnational crimes and step up protections for people and properties in both countries.

In recent years, there have been several cases of Chinese citizens being kidnapped in the Philippines, most of which have been related to illegal gambling and telecoms and internet fraud.

Last month, four police officers assigned to the Philippine capital region were arrested for kidnapping three Chinese and a Malaysian tourist for ransom.

Last year, six Chinese nationals were kidnapped from their home in Manila, four of whom were killed, Philippine police said.

In 20 recorded kidnapping cases since January last year, most of the victims were Chinese, according to authorities.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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