The Philippines on Sunday said it remains committed to its one-China policy following the recently concluded elections in Taiwan in which a pro-sovereignty candidate won.
The United States did likewise, as US President Joe Biden, asked by reporters for Washington’s position on Taiwan, said: “We do not support independence.”
“The Philippines is committed to its one-China policy,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said, as it reaffirmed the principles contained in the joint communique signed by the two countries in June 1975.
“The joint communique states that ‘the two governments agree to settle all disputes by peaceful means… without resorting to the use or threat of force,’” the DFA added, referring to the communist government in China and the democratic system in Taiwan.
China’s foreign ministry and embassies around the world also warned countries against supporting Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and condemned foreign governments that congratulated the island’s president-elect Lai Ching-te.
The US State Department on Saturday congratulated Lai on his victory and hailed the people of Taiwan “for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust democratic system and electoral process.”
China quickly condemned the statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulating Lai on his win.
“We strongly deplore and firmly oppose this, and have made serious representations to the US side,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
The Chinese embassy in London also condemned what it called the “incorrect actions” of British Foreign Minister David Cameron after he said, in a statement congratulating Lai and his party, that the elections were a “testament to Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.”
The Chinese embassy in Japan went as far as lodging solemn representations, a form of official diplomatic protest, after Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa congratulated Lai on his victory.
Even on the eve of the election, Chinese diplomats were already warning their host countries of the consequences of supporting Lai and the DPP.
Xiao Qian, Chinese ambassador to Australia, published an article in The Australian on Friday where he warned his host country of unspecified dangers if it were to support “Taiwan independence forces” like the DPP.
Meanwhile, an unofficial US delegation sent by the Biden administration will arrive in Taipei on Sunday, a move sure to draw condemnation from Beijing.
The delegation, including a former US national security adviser and a former deputy secretary of state, will meet “a range of leading political figures” on Monday, the island’s de facto US embassy said in a statement.
The question in the coming days will be whether China decides on merely a diplomatic and rhetorical response to the election — or steps up with a big show of force.
World powers are keen to see as much stability as possible between China and Taiwan, not least because of the vital role the island plays in the global economy.
The Taiwan Strait is one of the world’s most important maritime trade arteries and the island itself is a major tech manufacturer, particularly of vital semiconductors — the tiny chips used in everything from smartphones to missile systems.
But Taiwan told China on Sunday to “face reality” and respect its election result, after voters defied Beijing’s warnings and chose pro-sovereignty candidate Lai Ching-te as president.
Voters spurned Beijing’s repeated calls not to vote for Lai, delivering a comfortable victory for a man China’s ruling Communist Party sees as a dangerous separatist.
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced force to bring it under its control, responded to Lai’s victory by saying it would not change the “inevitable trend of China’s reunification.”
Lai, of the ruling DPP, had vowed to defend the island from China’s “intimidation” and on Sunday Taipei’s foreign ministry told Beijing to accept the result.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the Beijing authorities to respect the election results, face reality and give up suppressing Taiwan in order for positive cross-strait interactions to return to the right track,” it said in a statement.
‘External forces’
After a campaign marked by diplomatic pressure from Beijing and near-daily incursions by Chinese fighter jets, Lai beat his nearest rival Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang (KMT) on Saturday by more than 900,000 votes.
In his victory speech, the 64-year-old Lai congratulated voters for refusing to be swayed by “external forces” trying to influence the election.
He said he wanted to cooperate with China — Taiwan’s biggest trade partner — and maintain peace and stability, but pledged not to be cowed by Chinese belligerence.
“We are determined to safeguard Taiwan from continuing threats and intimidation from China,” he told supporters.
Four Chinese naval vessels were seen in waters around the island on polling day, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry, and one high-altitude balloon passed over.
China warned Taiwan’s voters in the days leading up to the election to make the “correct choice,” saying that Lai would take the island closer to war.
Lai will take power on May 20 alongside his vice-presidential pick Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s former representative to the United States.
Both were the targets of disinformation efforts during the campaign that experts linked to China.
The turnout of 72 percent showed an enthusiastic electorate and voter Tsai Jin-hui said on Sunday Beijing should mind its own business.
“What China thinks is a matter for China. We are electing the president of our own country,” the 62-year-old taxi driver said.
Continuity
Lai and the DPP have toned down past calls for independence, saying there is no need for a formal declaration since Taiwan is effectively independent already, defending the island’s sovereignty.
But China still sees them as skirting too close to the “I-word” — a red line for the communist giant.
Beijing cut off official contact with current President Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP in 2016 and is not expected to budge with Lai, setting the stage for four more years of frosty cross-strait relations.
“The ruling party’s unprecedented third consecutive presidential victory will disappoint China, but it is unlikely to spur any near-term change in Beijing’s reunification strategy,” Bonnie Glaser, a Taiwan-China affairs expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, wrote in an analysis piece.
A visit to Taiwan by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022 triggered China’s biggest-ever military exercises around the island, involving warships, missiles and fighter jets.
Further ahead, Lai’s presidency could be affected by the US election in November, with the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House meaning the island’s biggest ally could take a different stance.
On Sunday, a spokesperson for Beijing’s foreign ministry said the US statement “sends a gravely wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”
“We strongly deplore and firmly oppose this, and have made serious representations to the US side,” the spokesperson said.
They added that Washington’s statement “seriously violates the one-China principle” as well as its pledge to only maintain unofficial ties with Taiwan.
“We urge the US to stop its official interaction with Taiwan and stop sending any wrong signal to the separatist forces for ‘Taiwan independence,” the spokesperson said.
They did not mention the unofficial post-election visit of a US delegation to Taiwan announced Sunday by Washington’s de-facto embassy on the island. With AFP