China lodges ‘serious protest’ with Philippines over Taiwan remarks by President Marcos in Firstpost interview

China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday lodged a serious protest over Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s recent remarks on Taiwan during an interview with Firstpost’s Managing Editor Palki Sharma. In the exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Marcos Jr said that if a confrontation breaks out in Taiwan, the Philippines can not ‘stay out of it’.

When Global Times asked the Chinese Foreign Ministry about the Filipino president’s remarks at the Firstpost interview, the Chinese authorities reiterated “One China Policy” , which states that Taiwan, an autonomous island that holds democratic elections, is part of China.

“There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair, which is at the very core of China’s core interests. How to settle it is a matter for the Chinese ourselves, which brooks no interference,” the ministry said in response to Marcos Jr’s remarks.

What Marcos Jr said at the Firstpost Interview

While speaking to Firstpost, Marcos Jr maintained that if a conflict breaks out in Taiwan, the Philippines cannot stay out of it. The Philippine president highlighted the urgent need for strategic partnerships with like-minded nations , including India, to ensure regional security.

“If there is an all-out war, we will be drawn into it. We will have to go into Taiwan and bring our people home,” Marcos Jr said, pointing to the Philippines’ large expatriate population in Taiwan. Marcos Jr’s comments come at a time of intensifying maritime tensions in the South China Sea and growing global concern over a potential military flashpoint in the Indo-Pacific.

The Philippine president made these remarks while he was on a five-day visit to India , aiming to bolster ties between New Delhi and Manila. Soon after Marcos Jr’s remarks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Embassy in the Philippines lodged “serious protests” with the Philippine side.

In the complaint, the Chinese authorities made it clear that “near geographic location” and “a large number of Filipinos in Taiwan” should not encourage Manila to interfere in what they called “internal and sovereign affairs,” Global Times reported.