Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian asked the Philippine government to keep its hands off Taiwan’s bid for independence by not giving military access to the United States near Taiwan.
“The Philippines is advised to unequivocally oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ rather than stoking the fire by offering the US access to the military bases near the Taiwan Strait if you care genuinely about the 150,000 OFWs,” Huang said during a forum hosted by a non-government group of Filipino and Chinese businessmen and academics.
The Chinese diplomat was referring to the newest sites the Philippines has agreed to provide access to the US for prepositioning of defense materiel and troops near Taiwan—Sta. Ana, Cagayan and Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan—under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
He said the “root cause” of the recent Taiwan tension was the “collusion” of the pro-independence administration with the US administration.
“The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair, as is the Mindanao issue to the Philippines. You will never allow any third party to meddle with resolving rebel issues in Mindanao. Likewise, it should not be hard to understand why the announcement of the four additional EDCA sites has caused widespread and grave concern among Chinese people,” he said.
He cited “some” sectors in the Philippines who justified putting EDCA sites near Taiwan for the “safety” of the 150,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan.
“China is the last country that wishes to see conflict over the Strait because people on both sides are Chinese. But we will not renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures. This is to guard against external interference and all separatist activities,” he said during the 8th Manila Forum of the Association of Philippines-China Understanding (APCU).
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo had earlier said the selection of four new EDCA sites was based on further enhancing the Philippine and US militaries’ capabilities for “interoperability” and for immediate deployment during disasters.
However, the Chinese ambassador said, “Facts speak louder than words.”
“Obviously, the US intends to take advantage of the new EDCA sites to interfere in the situation across the Taiwan Strait to serve its geopolitical goals, and advance its anti-China agenda at the expense of peace and development of the Philippines and the region at large,” he said.
He quoted “many Filipino politicians and ordinary Filipino people” whom he said are “questioning whether opening new bases will serve the national interests of the Philippines.”
“Why are the new EDCA sites only a stone’s throw away from Taiwan? How will the Philippines effectively control the prepositioned weapons in the military bases? Why will the Philippines fight for another country through the new EDCA sites? These are soul-searching questions of the Philippine people and also doubt by people in China and across the region,” he said.
