The director general of the Foreign Ministry’s Asia Department, Liu Jinsong, held a meeting with the Philippine ambassador accredited here, Jaime Florcruz, to address these issues.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that the southern island is an inseparable province of China and that the Taipei issue constitutes a central core of Chinese national interests.
“The one-China principle is a universal international consensus and the political basis of China-Philippines relations,” he said.
Faced with reports of negotiations between the Philippine military and Taiwan for ‘international cooperation’ activities, including possible joint exercises, the spokesman stressed Beijing’s firm opposition to any official exchanges between countries with which it has diplomatic relations and Taipei.
“We urge the Philippines to abide by the one-China principle, stop any official contact with Taiwan and avoid sending wrong signals to separatist forces,” he stated.
Coast Guard Agency spokesman Liu Dejun charged that on April 27 six people from the Philippines ignored China’s warnings and carried out illegal activities on a reef that this Asian ciuntay considers part of its territory.
Tensions between Manila and Beijing have increased since a president who favors an alliance with the United States came to power in the neighboring country.
The two nations have disputes in the South China Sea and the Philippines has also deployed U.S.-made intermediate-range missiles in its territory.
Zhao Zhiwei, spokesman for the Navy of the Southern Theater of Operations, said that on April 20, a Philippine patrol boat illegally entered the South China Sea without the authorization of the Chinese government, and Beijing proceeded to expel the vessel.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced that Washington will deploy advanced military weapons to the Philippines, including NMESIS anti-ship missiles, in order to ‘strengthen deterrence’ against China.
This occurred within the framework of the Balikatan military exercises, in which Manila and Washington also cooperated with Australia and Japan.
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