Manila, Apr 19. The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has urged to “ensure the safety” of Filipino workers in Taiwan and to prepare a “contingency plan” for an eventual evacuation, amid tensions between the two countries over the reinforcement of the defense alliance between Manila and Washington.
This has been requested by Marcos Jr. to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the archipelago, which will draw up a plan to evacuate Filipino expatriate workers residing in Taiwan in the event of an attack by China, which claims sovereignty over the self-governing island, as confirmed this Wednesday Philippine ministerial sources.
The petition follows statements last Friday by the Chinese ambassador in Manila, Huang Xilian, who suggested that the Philippines “should be concerned about the safety” of the more than 150,000 Filipinos living in Taiwan, which was interpreted in some quarters as a threat. to Manila for its strengthened military alliance with the US.
Huang’s remarks come against a backdrop of diplomatic tension between China and the Philippines, after Manila announced on April 3 the four new military bases in the archipelago to which US troops will have access (bringing the total to nine). ), in the framework of its renewed defense agreement with Washington.
One of the bases is located on the northern peak of the archipelago, some 300 kilometers from Taiwan, which has angered Beijing; the other is close to the islands and reefs over whose sovereignty Manila and Beijing have a territorial conflict in the South China Sea, in Philippine territorial waters.
Huang was later quick to deny the alleged threat on Filipino workers in Taiwan in a statement, saying his remarks were taken out of context, but some Filipino senators and congressmen have continued to denounce the alleged Chinese coercion.
The decision to give Americans access to military bases in such sensitive locations nonetheless divides the Philippine political class.
Senator Imee Marcos, the sister of the Philippine president, aggressively asked Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo in a Senate committee today whether the Philippines would allow the US to “refuel and repair its (military) assets” in the event of a war in Taiwan. .
Manalo responded that “according to the provisions” of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Pact (EDCA) with the US, the Philippines would not be required to provide such assistance, according to ABS-CBN.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit the Philippines from April 21-23, which is expected to help ease tensions between the two countries, with Beijing being Manila’s biggest trading partner. EFE
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