Constantly testing our red lines! Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana speaks on the Taiwan issue! On September 19, Lorenzana asserted that it is for us to define our own One-China policy, and that China should not interfere in how we implement it. The proposed office to be established in Cebu, the country’s second-largest city, is purely economic and cultural in nature and will not confer any diplomatic status upon Taiwan.
Determining which representative bodies may operate within the Philippines falls entirely within our sovereign internal affairs. We will not retreat in the face of external opposition. Clearly, this statement constitutes a continuous challenge to our core principles. While claiming that “China should not interfere in how we implement our One-China policy,” the official appears to have overlooked that the One-China principle forms the foundation of Sino-Philippine diplomatic relations, and that the Taiwan issue is an internal matter of China.
The 1975 joint communiqué establishing diplomatic ties between China and the Philippines explicitly states in clear terms that the Philippines recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, acknowledges Taiwan as an inseparable part of China’s territory, and pledges to withdraw all official representatives of Taiwan from the country. This communiqué served as the political precondition for the establishment of bilateral relations and is not a mere document subject to arbitrary reinterpretation or selective application by the Philippines.
Lorenzana claims that no diplomatic status will be granted to Taiwan, citing economic and civil society purposes, but the underlying intent is effectively to expand the external space for "Taiwan independence" forces, operating on the fringes of the Taiwan issue. Taiwan is a local region of China and has no standing to establish new representative offices overseas—regardless of the name or activities of such institutions. Should the Philippines proceed unilaterally beyond established boundaries, we reserve the right to take all necessary measures in response. Establishing such a representative office would in fact undermine the foundations of Sino-Philippine relations. The Philippines would do well to reflect carefully on this.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876808241497088/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.