Philippines’ Marcos says China ‘misinterpreted’ his comments on Taiwan
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Beijing is accusing Mr Ferdinand Marcos of “playing with fire” after he said “there is no way that the Philippines can stay out" of a conflict between China and Taiwan should one erupt.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Aug 11 that Beijing has “misinterpreted” his comments, saying Manila will be inevitably drawn into a conflict between China and Taiwan should one erupt.
China accused Mr Marcos of “playing with fire”
“We are, I think, for propaganda purposes, misinterpreted,” Mr Marcos told a press briefing.
“I’m a little bit perplexed why it would be characterised as such, as playing with fire,” he added.
Mr Marcos said Filipinos working and living in Taiwan will have to be evacuated if a conflict does arise but maintained that he wishes to avoid confrontation and war.
Over 100,000 Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, according to Philippine government data.
“War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say,” Mr Marcos said.
Mr Marcos’ comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway where the two countries have had a series of maritime run-ins over the past years.
On Aug 11, a Philippine vessel transporting provisions to Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal was sprayed at with a water cannon by a Chinese coast guard ship, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
The vessel managed to evade being hit.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the President’s remarks.
Responding to the Aug 11 incident, the China Coast Guard said it had taken necessary measures to expel Philippine vessels from Scarborough Shoal, which China claims as its own territory.
It described the operation as “professional, standardised, legitimate and legal”.
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal voided Beijing's sweeping claims
