A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry accused the Philippines of fabricating multiple Chinese espionage cases during a regular news conference on Monday (April 7).

The Philippines expressed alarm on Saturday (April 5) over the arrest of three Filipinos in China on suspicion of espionage, saying they were ordinary citizens and the arrests could be retaliation for Manila's crackdown against alleged Chinese spies.

Spokesperson Lin Jian said the cases were being handled "strictly in accordance with the law and based on facts".

Chinese authorities arrested the Filipinos and accused them of working for the Philippine intelligence agency to gather classified information on its military, the state-run China Daily reported earlier this week, citing state security officials. It said the three had confessed to the crime.

The Philippines' National Security Council disputed Beijing's accusations, saying the three were former recipients of a government scholarship program created under an agreement between the southern Chinese province of Hainan and the western Philippine province of Palawan.