Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 16) — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Sunday said Beijing should recall Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian following his “disgraceful statements” on the fate of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan amid the heightened military ties between the Philippines and the United States.
“Our OFWs in Taiwan will continue to work where they work. End of story. Filipinos will thrive and make a living according to our wishes. We will never let Beijing decide on the future of Filipino families. Their destiny is not in China’s hands,” Hontiveros said in a Facebook post.
“The Palace should tell Beijing to recall their representative in Manila as soon as possible. He has no business being a diplomat if he is unable to engage with us in a respectful and dignified manner,” she said. “He, along with his country’s ships and artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea, should pack up and leave.”
The senator’s statement came after Huang urged the Philippines to oppose Taiwan’s independence rather than “stoking the fire” by giving the US access to military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), if it “cares genuinely” about the 150,000 OFWs in Taiwan.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila also released the original text of the ambassador’s speech during the 8th Manila Forum over the weekend “to set the record straight” as it claimed that some reports have “misquoted or misinterpreted” his statements.
“Some tried to find excuse for the new EDCA sites by citing the safety of the 150,000 OFWs in Taiwan, while China is the last country that wishes to see conflict over the Strait because people on both sides are Chinese. But we will not renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures. This is to guard against external interference and all separatist activities,” Huang said.
“The Philippines is advised to unequivocally oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ rather than stoking the fire by offering the US access to the military bases near the Taiwan Strait if you care genuinely about the 150,000 OFWs,” he added.
Huang was adamant that the US would use the four new EDCA sites in Cagayan, Isabela, and Palawan to help Taiwan’s independence movement.
He also said that China commends the Philippines’ adherence to the one-China principle, stressing that Manila will “never allow any third party to meddle” with resolving internal issues, as is Beijing.“The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair, as is the Mindanao issue to the Philippines. You will never allow any third party to meddle with resolving rebel issues in Mindanao. Likewise, it should not be hard to understand why the announcement of the four additional EDCA sites has caused widespread and grave concern among Chinese people,” he said.In her post, Hontiveros also stressed that the Philippines will never interfere with the issue of Taiwanese independence and that China is the one “making all this mess.”
