The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit.
The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement.
However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park in a since-deleted Facebook post featured a photograph of Lin giving remarks at its campus, with a caption saying he was leading the delegation from Taiwan.
The trip follows a May memorandum of understanding between CIECA and USTBC to expand Taiwan-US cooperation in third markets, the ministry said, adding that delegation members were agreed upon after negotiations with Manila.
Speculation grew after Philippine Senator Imee Marcos asked the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs to confirm reports that Lin was in the Philippines.
Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Theresa Lazaro replied that her department had no knowledge of Lin’s presence, saying it had only been informed of a USTBC business delegation led by Danielsson.
“My response is: We are not responding to that question of whether there is a foreign minister in the delegation,” Lazaro told lawmakers.
Marcos called Lin a “controversial, pro-independence advocate” and warned that his reported visit could provoke a backlash from China.
The ministry said the delegation includes representatives from the technology, agriculture, logistics, energy, manufacturing and tourism sectors.
Their itinerary includes visits to Subic Bay, New Clark City and Manila.
In April, the Philippines eased restrictions on exchanges with Taiwan under Memorandum Circular No. 82, which amended a 1987 ban on official contacts. The change allows most government officials to travel to Taiwan for economic and trade purposes, although the president, vice president, and foreign and defense ministers remain barred.
Officials must also travel on ordinary passports and without official titles, and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs or the president must clear any agreements made with Taiwanese organizations.
In another meeting yesterday to discuss the status of the Philippines’ “one China” policy, Lazaro told legislators that Manila does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state.
“The Filipino people have long-standing relations with the Taiwanese people and we therefore benefit from continued engagement with them,” she said. “We do not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state [and] leave it to the Chinese people to resolve cross-strait matters.”
The Philippines urges Taipei and Beijing to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue, as an armed conflict would affect Filipinos working in Taiwan and other nations in the region, she said.
In response to questions about interactions between Taiwanese and senior Philippine officials, Lazaro said that Taipei and Manila limit their talks to trade, tourism, cultural exchanges and investments.
However, she confirmed that the foreign affairs department is working with security agencies to prepare plans for the potential evacuation of the 169,000 documented Filipinos working in Taiwan should a contingency occur.
Manila Economic and Cultural Office Resident Representative Cheloy Garafil said the Taiwanese government has pledged to shelter Filipino workers in case of an emergency.
Taiwanese air raid shelters have a combined capacity for 40 million people, enough to house Filipinos working in Taiwan, she said.
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