Marcos’ comments on Taiwan ‘misinterpreted’

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said on Monday that Beijing has “misinterpreted” his comments saying Manila will be inevitably drawn in to a conflict between China and Taiwan should one erupt.

- By Chloe Mari A. Hufana Reporter

China accused Mr. Marcos of “playing with fire” after the Philippine leader said during a visit to India that “there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it” due to its proximity to the democratically governed island.

“We are, I think for propaganda purposes, misinterpreted,” Mr. Marcos told a press briefing.

“I’m a little bit perplexed why it would be characterized as such, as playing with fire,” he added.

Mr. Marcos said Filipinos working and living in Taiwan will have to be evacuated if a conflict does arise but maintained that he wishes to avoid confrontation and war.

Over a hundred thousand Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, according to Philippine government data.

“War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict, That is what I was trying to say,” Mr. Marcos said.

China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the President’s remarks.

The Philippine president’s comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway where the two countries have had a series of maritime run-ins over the past years.

Mr. Marcos’ new remarks on the potential conflict in Taiwan reflect the Philippines’ foreign policy, Josue Raphael J. Cortez, diplomacy lecturer at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, said, noting the Philippines is a peace-loving nation, committed to the resolution of conflicts through dialogue and peaceful ways.

“The President, as chief architect of Philippine foreign policy, has enunciated the statement in line with the third pillar, which is to protect the rights and promote the welfare of Filipinos abroad,” Mr. Cortez said in a Facebook Messenger chat.