China Angry at ‘Chinese Spy’ Comments During Traffic Stop
Police officers got a lot more than they bargained for during a recent traffic stop. Philippine traffic enforcement officers stopped an SUV for taking an illegal shortcut through a bus/taxi lane, only to discover the driver worked in the U.S. embassy. Then things got even weirder.
Diplomats have a unique legal status. They enjoy “diplomatic immunity” for many things. But if they embarrass their home country badly enough, they’ll be called home and replaced. And they may even face consequences.
How one embassy employee’s traffic stop went sideways
One U.S. embassy employee driving in Manila may have felt a bit too invincible because he chose to cut through the designated “Busway” nine miles away from the embassy. In 2024 alone, Manila authorities fined 518 drivers for doing the same thing.
The US citizen obligingly got out of the SUV. But he admitted he didn’t have a local driver’s license or an international driver’s permit. He flashed his passport instead. So the officers took a picture of the passport.
That’s when a passenger in the SUV got involved. The passenger claimed that taking the photo was illegal and demanded the officers delete it. The passenger offhandedly remarked that the officers might “sell the picture of the passport to Chinese spies.” Finally, they demanded the officers speak with a high-ranking police official—before calling their bosses at the U.S. Embassy.
China didn’t like the statement at all. The Chinese Embassy in Manila released its own statement. “We have noted reports of the incident and are deeply shocked and concerned about the relevant baseless accusations against China and the so-called ‘Chinese spy’ narrative.”
The U.S. Embassy immediately stated, “The US Embassy instructs all staff to obey Philippine law, including traffic regulations.”
Obviously, embassy employees will interact with local law enforcement and receive training on navigating traffic stops. So it’s a bit bizarre that this employee would blab about Chinese spies while being recorded on a police traffic camera. Their job is, after all, to improve international relations—not to make things worse.
