China Denies Placing PH on Tourist Blacklist

China on Tuesday denied reports that it has placed the Philippines on its tourism blacklist due to the rampant online gambling operations in the country, labeling the reports as “misinformation.”

This comes as the Chinese embassy released a statement Tuesday night, saying that the country was not placed on any blacklist for tourism.

“China has not placed the Philippines on its blacklist for tourism,” a separate statement of the Chinese embassy to the media said.

“The report of ‘tourist blacklist’ is misinformation,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, China said in their official statement that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) “harm China’s interests and China-Philippines relations,” adding that it also hurts Philippine interests.

The statement also said that the social problems brought about by POGOs far exceed their economic advantages for the Philippines.

“It is therefore widely believed that social costs of POGO far outweigh its economic benefits to the Philippines in the long run,” the statement read.

China also called for the eradication of POGOs.

The statement is China’s response to the claim made by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri during a Senate hearing where he said that China has placed the Philippines on a “blacklist for tourist sites,” adding that Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian relayed the information to him during a courtesy call on October 10.

Zubiri said further that the ambassador told him China is expressing concern over the safety of overseas Chinese citizens as POGOs have recently made headlines once again for being linked with crimes such as corruption, forgery, and money laundering, among others. (GFB)