Marcos defends greeting to new Taiwan leader, affirms One China policy

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 24) — The Philippines is committed to the One China policy and does not endorse Taiwan's independence, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. clarified, in response to China's outrage over his congratulatory message to Taiwan's new leader.

Marcos said he was surprised by Beijing's reaction to his tweet, arguing he only congratulated election winner Lai Ching-te, whom he referred to as president, out of "common courtesy."

"Noong presidente ako, binati ako [When I became president, I was congratulated]. So what do you do? It's just common courtesy that you do the same to them. That's really where it came from," Marcos told GMA News anchor Pia Arcangel in a one-on-one interview on Tuesday.

Marcos added that the national government will never abandon the One China policy, signed by his father, the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos, and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1975.

"The One China policy remains in place. We have adhered to the One China policy strictly and conscientiously since we adopted the One China policy. That has not changed, that will not change," Marcos said.

The policy recognizes that Taiwan is part of China's territory and that the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

"We do not endorse Taiwan's independence. Taiwan is a province of China, but the matter they will be brought together again is an internal matter," he stressed. "Ang habol lang natin dito ay kapayapaan na huwag magkagulo." [The only thing we are after here is peace and no chaos.]

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Marcos' reaffirmation.

"We appreciate the Philippines reaffirming its commitment to the one-China principle. China's complete reunification is where global opinion trends," said China's MFA in post on X, formerly Twitter. "Any attempt to seek 'Taiwan independence' is doomed to fail."

The exchange between Marcos and Lai, which came amid tensions between Manila and Beijing in the West Philippine Sea, triggered an uproar between Philippine and Chinese officials.

China warned Marcos not to "play with fire," telling the president to "read more to develop a proper understanding" of the Taiwan question.

READ: PH defense chief slams Chinese official for 'gutter level talk' directed at Marcos