The Philippines’ top diplomat has expressed his concern to Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang (秦剛) over escalating tensions in waters around Taiwan, Manila said yesterday.
Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo met Qin as the two countries seek to deepen economic ties, while also managing their dispute in the South China Sea, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement after the talks.
“Secretary Manalo reaffirmed the Philippines’ adherence to the one China policy, while at the same time expressing concern over the escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait,” it said.
Photo: Reuters
Qin described China and the Philippines as “close neighbors across the sea.”
“Amid the fluid and turbulent regional situation, a healthy and stable China-Philippines relationship is not only meeting the aspirations of our two peoples, but also in line with the common aspirations of regional countries,” he said during the talks.
He told a forum in Shanghai on Friday that rhetoric accusing China of disrupting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait could have dangerous consequences.
“Such claims go against basic common sense on international relations and historical justice,” he said in Shanghai. “The logic is absurd and the consequences dangerous.”
China staged military exercises around Taiwan this month that simulated targeted strikes and a blockade of the country, in response to a meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
China and the Philippines are also locked in a bitter dispute in the strategic South China Sea, and yesterday pledged to work together to resolve their maritime differences.
“These differences should not prevent us from seeking ways of managing them effectively, especially with respect to enjoyment of rights of Filipinos, especially fishermen,” Manalo said, adding that their livelihoods are undermined by incidents and actions in the waterway.
Qin’s visit came just weeks after the Philippines announced the location of four additional US military bases, two of which are facing north toward Taiwan.
Qin was also to meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday, ahead of Marcos’ meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington next month.
Separately, US Department of Defense spokesman Vedant Patel on Friday echoed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s remarks opposing China using force to change the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in dialogue with Taiwan,” Patel told a daily news briefing.
“We will go about this in coordination with our important allies and partners, of which of course the Republic of Korea is one of them,” he added. “And we will keep coordinating with friends and allies across the Indo-Pacific to advance what we believe is our shared prosperity and security values, including preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Additional reporting by staff writer, with Reuters
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