China summoned the ambassador of the Philippines Tuesday to officially protest President Ferdinand Marcos’ message of congratulations to Taiwan’s newly elected president.
Speaking to reporters in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said President Marcos’s statement was a “serious violation” of the Philippines’ commitment to the “One China principle” and “a gross interference in China’s internal affairs.”
Mao Ning warned the Philippines “not to play with fire on the Taiwan issue” and to stop sending “wrong signals” to independence and separatist forces on the island. She also urged Marcos to do further reading so he can properly understand the issue and come to “the right conclusions.”
Taiwan has been self-governing since the end of China’s civil war in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist forces were driven off the mainland by Mao Zedong’s Communists and settled on the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its control by any means necessary, including a military takeover.
