Philippine senator says China should do more to help fight cybercrime gangs

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — China should do more to battle the illegal online gambling and scam call centers run by Chinese criminal syndicates in Southeast Asian countries often using forced labor, a Philippine senator who led an investigation into the centers said Friday.

The U.N. human rights office has said that such gangs have forced hundreds of thousands of people into participating in online scam operations, including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros also called for stronger international cooperation to end cybercrime, saying that the gangs undermine the rule of law and could provide a platform for espionage activities, although she acknowledged there is no clear evidence linking the gambling hubs to Chinese surveillance operations.

A number of Chinese gambling complexes which have been shut down by Philippine authorities were located near a Philippine air force base north of Manila where American forces have been authorized to build a presence and near a residential compound inhabited by American diplomats and military officials, according to Hontiveros.

China has expressed alarm over increased U.S. military deployments in Asia, including in the Philippines, Washington’s longtime treaty ally.

Chinese-run online gambling outfits are estimated to number more than 400 across the Philippines, and they employ tens of thousands of Chinese and Southeast Asian nationals, many of them illegally trafficked into the country, Philippine officials said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a ban on online gambling operations in July, saying they have mocked Philippine laws and committed crimes including financial scams, human trafficking, torture, kidnappings and murder.

China has banned gambling, but most of the clients of the online syndicates which operate in the Philippines were mainland Chinese citizens, who defy their government’s prohibition, Hontiveros said.

“China is not doing enough, given her impressive powers that she has not been shy to wield and display on so many fronts,” Hontiveros said.

“We would all benefit from more regional and international cooperation in, for example, making the