Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has eased travel restrictions for Philippine government officials to Taiwan, with the goal of increasing opportunities for the development and expansion of the country’s priority areas of investments, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported yesterday.
The travel limitations were first imposed in 1989 during the administration of former Philippine president Corazon Aquino. The executive order had banned all Filipino government officials from making official visits to Taiwan, meeting with Taiwanese officials, or engaging in any official activity related to Taiwan without permission from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Marcos on Tuesday last week signed Memorandum Circular, with the content being made public yesterday.
Photo: CNA
Under the new policy, travel restriction would only apply to the president, vice president, secretary of foreign affairs and secretary of national defense, the PNA said.
Philippine officials who are to visit Taiwan for economic, trade and investment purposes are required to use their “ordinary passports and without using their official titles,” the report said.
They must also inform and coordinate with the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, the Philippines’ de facto embassy in Taiwan, before their trip.
The new policy also allows Filipino officials to host Taiwanese delegations for economic discussions, but MECO should be notified at least five days before the meetings.
The memorandum further stipulates that no official documents can be signed with Taiwanese government agencies without prior approval from the DFA and the Office of the President, the report said.
In Taipei, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) affirmed the Philippine government’s efforts to enhance relations between Taiwan and the Philippines, adding that the new policy would deepen practical cooperation between the two countries under the framework of integrated diplomacy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a statement that Taiwan is the Philippines’ eighth-largest export market, ninth-largest trade partner and 10th-largest source of imports.
“As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has said, the stability across the Taiwan Strait is the priority, and peace, safety and stability is the concern of all nations. Taiwan will continue work with the Philippines and other democratic allies and make contributions to the regional prosperity, peace and stability,” the ministry said.
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