Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 5) — China said it deals with all criminals fairly and “in strict accordance with the law,” as it responded to speculations that its sea dispute with the Philippines may have played a part in its decision to execute two Filipinos convicted of drug trafficking.
Citing the West Philippine Sea issue, an analyst earlier said Beijing might have denied Manila’s appeal to commute the sentences of the two convicts due to strained bilateral relations.
But in a statement on Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila stressed the gravity of drug-related crimes while maintaining that it treats all criminals of different nationalities equally.
It said it prudently applies the death penalty for those who have committed “extremely serious crimes.”
“Chinese law stipulates that all persons who commit crimes are equal in the application of the law, and no one is allowed to have privileges beyond the law,” the embassy wrote.
“China unswervingly adheres to the law in combating drug-related crimes, always maintaining ‘zero tolerance’ and a high-pressure deterrence, and resolutely punishing in accordance with the law those drug offenders who are malicious and pose great personal danger,” the statement further read.
Beijing said it “fully guaranteed” the procedural and litigation rights of the two during the trial. It added that it ensured Philippine consular officials will be able to perform their duties and that it allowed the convicts’ families to visit them in China.
The two Filipinos were put to death on Nov. 24, some 10 years after their arrest, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed on Saturday.
Dr. Rommel Banlaoi, president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies and a board member of China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea, previously said that while China has every right to enforce its laws, it also considers appeals from other countries depending on the state of their relationship.
Banlaoi suspected that the Philippines’ tough stance on the West Philippine Sea issue “hardened China’s position when it came to the two Filipinos.”
According to the DFA, there are 92 Filipino death penalty cases in China, of which all but one are drug-related.
