Deadly Philippines Kidnapping of Chinese Was ‘Meticulously Planned’

The kidnapping that resulted in the deaths of two medical executives, including a Chinese citizen, in the Philippines was a well-planned trap, according to a friend of the victims [para. 1].

The victims, a 39-year-old Chinese national named Xia Keifu and a 45-year-old Chinese American named Sun Jing, were discovered dead in Camarines Sur on June 24 after being taken hostage. The province is located in Luzon’s Bicol Region and has a railway connection to Manila [para. 2]. Xia held the position of international marketing chief at Suzhou RainMed Medical Technology Co. Ltd., while Sun was a sales agent for the company [para. 3].

Xia and Sun were invited to Manila on a purported business trip on June 20, where they were kidnapped shortly upon their arrival [para. 4]. The Chinese embassy has urged the Philippine authorities to apprehend and strictly punish the perpetrators, with police from China and the United States joining the investigation [para. 5]. However, the motive for the crime remains unclear, although the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group has gathered leads on suspects [para. 6].

Sun's friend described him as enthusiastic and good at making friends, and was a medical equipment agent who met Xia in May at a cardiovascular medicine event in Paris [para. 7][para. 8]. Before their departure, Sun shared information and chat records about the person who issued the invitation, a woman named Li Na, with his assistant. Li Na claimed to work for Philippine medical equipment firm Medev, which had shifted focus to the medical industry due to the local real estate market downturn [para. 9][para. 10]. Upon their arrival in Manila, the pair soon lost contact, and a kidnapper later contacted Xia’s family, demanding a ransom of 3 million yuan ($412,000) through cryptocurrency [para. 13].

Sun's friend believed the kidnapping was meticulously planned, with the perpetrators tailoring a scheme to lure the victims abroad. Li communicated in a professional manner, but her documents contained no personal information [para. 19][para. 20][para. 24].

After landing in Manila on June 20, Sun sent short videos and a photo of their driver but then lost contact [para. 26]. Sun later called his family several times, appearing incoherent and asking for large sums of money to save Xia and himself [para. 30][para. 31]. Even after negotiating the ransom, the kidnappers did not uphold their end of the deal [para. 39].

Sun's family reported the kidnapping to the FBI and the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. However, responses were slow and mainly handled through voicemail, frustrating the families during the critical weekend period [para. 41][para. 45]. Xia's family similarly reported the case to Chinese police, but after sending the ransom, they lost contact with the kidnappers [para. 47].

Both families flew to the Philippines on June 25, meeting with local police and FBI agents, where they were informed that the bodies had been found. The victims had been suffocated and abused before being killed, with no evidence left behind by the kidnappers [para. 50][para. 55].

Their remains were cremated, and memorial services were planned for early July [para. 58].

For further details, contact reporter Han Wei at Caixin [para. 59].