On the evening of August 23, 2010, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo on the hijacking of Hong Kong tourists in the Philippines. Yang said that at about 9:00am of August 23, 2010, 21 Hong Kong tourists were hijacked in Manila of the Philippines. Attaching great importance to the incident, the Chinese government immediately required the Philippine side to spare no efforts to rescue the hostages under the precondition of ensuring their safety. After negotiations, 6 Hong Kong tourists were released before noon. At about 7:40pm tonight, the Philippine police launched a sudden rescue campaign during which many Hong Kong tourists were injured and killed.

Yang said that the Chinese government is shocked by the event, feels deeply grieved over the death of Hong Kong compatriots and strongly condemns the violence of hijacker against innocent tourists. The Chinese side requires the Philippine side to completely investigate the incident, report related details as soon as possible, try its best to rescue the injured and properly handle the aftermath. The Chinese government will send a working group to the Philippines to assist the embassy to handle related affairs. It requires the Philippines to take tangible measures to ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese citizens in the country.

Romulo indicated that the Philippine side expresses deep grief and regret over the incident and said that it will do its best to save the injured, completely investigate the entire event, inform the Chinese side of the result of investigation and provide assistance to the Chinese working group in the Philippines.

The two sides will keep close contacts and cooperation to appropriately handle the aftermath.