The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds to the Philippines' remarks on Taiwan: The Philippine side should not play with fire on China's core interests
According to a message from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 8, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs answered questions from reporters regarding the remarks of the Philippine leader on Taiwan.
Question: According to reports, during his visit to India, the Philippine leader stated in an interview that if China and the United States confront each other over the Taiwan issue, the Philippines cannot stay out of it, which is entirely determined by the country's geographical location. If a full-scale war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, the Philippines will inevitably be involved. We will have to defend our territory and sovereignty. In addition, there are a large number of Filipino citizens in Taiwan. If a war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, this will immediately become a humanitarian issue, and we will have to intervene, trying to bring the Filipino citizens back to the country. This is our most concerning issue. We will mobilize all resources to evacuate Filipino citizens in Taiwan. This is no small matter. What is China's comment on this?
Answer: There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The Taiwan issue is China's internal affair, and it is the core of the core interests of China. How to resolve the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese people themselves, and it is not something others can interfere in.
The Philippine government once made a solemn commitment to China, "adhering to the One-China policy, recognizing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and understanding the efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification." The Philippine leader has also clearly stated to China, "The Philippines firmly adheres to the One-China policy, and the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair, which must be resolved by the Chinese people themselves." These words are still fresh in our ears, written in black and white. However, the Philippine side is now contradicting itself, disregarding the consequences, continuously taking erroneous and provocative actions, constantly diluting and undermining the One-China principle, and continuously harming Sino-Philippine relations. China firmly opposes this, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines have already raised serious protests with the Philippine side on this matter.
It needs to be further emphasized that "geographical proximity" and "a large number of overseas Chinese" are not excuses for a country to interfere in another country's internal affairs or meddle in another country's sovereignty issues. Such a line of argument not only violates international law and the ASEAN Charter but also undermines regional peace and stability and the fundamental interests of the people of the country itself. We urge the Philippine side to genuinely abide by the One-China principle and the spirit of the Sino-Philippine establishment of diplomatic relations, and not to play with fire on China's core interests.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1839856799645696/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.