(Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday he will speak with Beijing’s ambassador to Manila to get an explanation about the envoy’s remarks on how the Philippines is “stoking the fire” over Taiwan’s independence.
Marcos said he will talk to Ambassador Huang Xilian “soon,” adding that he was a “little surprised” by the envoy’s recent comments. “I’m sure he will be very anxious to give his own interpretation of what he was trying to say,” the president said.
The Chinese envoy said last week that the Philippines’ decision to expand US military access “has caused widespread and grave concern among Chinese people.”
Huang had said the Philippines is advised to “unequivocally oppose Taiwan independence” if the Southeast Asian country cares “genuinely” about the 150,000 Filipinos working in the island nation. Manila has adhered to the one-China principle.
“I interpret it as (him) trying to say ‘Philippines, do not provoke or intensify the tensions because it will impact badly on the Filipinos,’ that’s how I take it,” Marcos said, adding that the envoy’s remark must have been “lost in translation.”
China’s embassy in Manila later said that the ambassador was misquoted, amid criticisms from lawmakers. China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang will be on a three-day visit to the Philippines from Friday to boost ties and tackle regional security issues as the Southeast Asian nation bolsters its defense alliance with the US.
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