Lately it has appeared that the Philippines has been moving away from its long-term alliance with the United States and warming up to better ties with China.
However, a bust of an online gaming operation could potentially be a small thorn in the side of improved diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China.
On Friday, over 1,300 Chinese nationals were arrested by the Philippines National Bureau of Immigration and Department of Justice officers for illegally working in “an unlicensed online gaming business,” said Bureau of Immigration spokesman Tonette Mangrobang. The workers, who reportedly were in the Philippines under tourist visas and thus not legally empowered to work in the Philippines, were detained after a raid on the Fontana Leisure Park & Casino operated by Jimei chairman and gaming tycoon Jack Lam in the Clark Freeport Zone.