DFA: PH to maintain One China policy, ties with Taiwan
The Philippines is standing by its One China policy, but will also keep pursuing economic and cultural cooperation with Taiwan, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Sunday.
“The Philippines recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. This policy remains consistent, clear and unchanged,” the DFA said in a statement, referring to the Manila’s 1975 Joint Communiqué with Beijing.
It said, however, that the policy “does not preclude the Philippines from pursuing economic, cultural and functional cooperation with Taiwan.”
“As President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently noted, the Philippines and Taiwan are close neighbors with a long history of doing business together,” the DFA said.
Both the Philippines and Taiwan maintain economic and cultural offices in their respective capitals.
‘None of your business’
The statement comes after China objected to Taiwan’s plan to open a representative office in Cebu province. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun called on the Philippines to “abide by the one-China principle with concrete actions” and “refrain from taking any steps that could harm China-Philippines relations.”
In response, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said on Friday that Beijing should not meddle in how the Philippines implements that policy.
“We recognize the One China policy but how we implement it is none of their business,” he said.
The DFA stressed that it remains the government’s authoritative voice in conducting Philippine foreign policy.
It added that it would continue to pursue diplomacy, open communication and peaceful dispute resolution in accordance with international law, while working with relevant agencies to protect the welfare of Filipinos on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s planned office in Cebu will be its second in the country after its Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Makati City. The office is envisioned to serve Taiwanese travelers and businesses in central Philippines.
Taipei has also proposed a Taiwan-Philippines Economic Corridor that would link with the Luzon Economic Corridor to strengthen supply chains. —WITH A REPORT FROM PNA
