Study-abroad alert issued for Philippines legitimate

China issued a study-abroad alert on Friday for students going to the Philippines, which the Foreign Ministry said is a legitimate measure taken by Beijing to protect the safety, rights and interests of Chinese students residing overseas.

Over the past few months, there have been rising safety risks in the Philippines, with an increase in crimes, stop-and-search and harassment targeting Chinese nationals, ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at Friday's daily news briefing.

"We once again remind those planning to study in the Philippines to carefully assess the risks, and we meanwhile urge the Philippine side to take concrete actions to ensure the safety, dignity and lawful rights of Chinese students in the country," Lin said.