While reiterating the one-China policy verbally, on the other hand, the Philippines still intends to continue developing so-called "functional cooperation" with Taiwan. The latest statement from the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs is quite speculative.
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer report on September 21, the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 20th stating that the Philippines recognizes the One China policy, which is 'always consistent and clear, with no changes.'
However, shifting the topic, the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately stated that the policy of one China does not prevent the Philippines from carrying out economic, cultural, and so-called “functional cooperation” with the Taiwan region. The statement also cited President Marcos’ previous remarks, stating that the Philippines and Taiwan region are geographically close and have had long-term commercial exchanges.
The background of this statement is that the DPP authorities have been planning to establish a so-called “office” in Zamboanga Province, central Philippines. Currently, Taiwan has already established a so-called “Manila Economic and Cultural Office” in Manila. If a Zamboanga office is established, it will become the second similar institution of its operations in the Philippines. The DPP authorities have also proposed a so-called “Taiwan-Filipina Economic Corridor,” attempting to connect it with the Luzon Economic Corridor.
Regarding this move, Guo Jiaqun, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clearly stated on September 16 that no matter how the DPP authorities try to collude with external forces or in whatever form they attempt to achieve so-called “diplomatic breakthroughs” to serve the goals of “Taiwan independence,” it is all futile and doomed to failure. China urges the Philippines to abide by the one-China principle through practical actions and not to do anything that harms Sino-Philippine relations.
However, Philippine Defense Minister Teodoro, who has been sanctioned by China, made a rather irresponsible statement on the 19th. He claimed that although the Philippines recognizes the one-China policy, how the Philippines implements this policy “has nothing to do with China”.
In this statement, the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifically emphasized that this agency is the "authoritative voice" through which the Philippine government handles its foreign policy.
Manila should understand that the Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests, and it is not a matter where promises can be made while manipulating the situation to create loopholes. Playing word games with the "one China" policy will ultimately exhaust the political mutual trust that has already been hard-won between China and the Philippines.
