China urges Philippines to take concrete measures ensuring safety of Chinese students: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday urged the Philippine side to take concrete measures to ensure the safety, dignity and legal rights of Chinese students in the Philippines.

China's Ministry of Education released an overseas study alert on Friday, urging students to assess security risks of studying in the Philippines and raise their awareness of precautions.

When asked to comment on the alert, spokesperson Lin Jian said recently, the public security situation in the Philippines has been deteriorating, with a rise in crimes and harassment targeting Chinese citizens. The alert released by the Chinese government is a responsible and reasonable measure to safeguard the safety and rights of Chinese students, said Lin.

"We once again remind individuals going to study in the Philippines to conduct a risk assessment," Lin added.