China protests Marcos remarks on Taiwan Strait conflict

China on Friday said it lodged "serious protests" against the Philippines after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. stated the country may be drawn into a conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan, which Beijing repeatedly threatened to annex by force if necessary.

Marcos, in a media interview during his state visit to India, said "there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it" if an all-out war erupts in the Taiwan Strait due to its geographic location and the presence of around 200,000 Filipino workers on the self-ruling democratic island China claims as part of its territory.

Marcos stressed the Philippines adheres to the One-China policy, but noted it also has an obligation "to defend our territory and our sovereignty" and must brace for a possible "humanitarian crisis" as thousands of Filipinos in Taiwan would be trapped in the conflict.

"There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China," China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, which also accused Manila of "fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle, and kept harming the China-Philippines relations."

"China firmly opposes this. The Chinese Foreign Ministry and embassy in the Philippines have lodged serious protests with the Philippine side," it said.

The Philippines is a defense treaty ally of the US, which supports Taiwan's democracy. Washington is bound by law to provide Taipei with "defensive arms" to protect itself from external threats.

Beijing said “near geographic location” and “a large amount of Filipinos in Taiwan” should "not be used as pretexts to interfere in the internal and sovereign affairs of other countries."

The Office of the President and Department of Foreign Affairs have yet to reply to a request for comment. GMA News Online will publish their statements once available.

"These claims not only contravene international law and the ASEAN Charter, but also harm regional peace and stability and the fundamental interests of its own people," said China, citing the legal framework of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which the Philippines is a member.

"We urge the Philippines to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the spirit of China-Philippines Joint Communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations, and refrain from playing fire on issues bearing on China’s core interests."

Manila does not have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which has been separated from the Chinese mainland since 1949.

The Philippines, however, maintains a de-facto embassy in Taiwan, called the Manila Economic and Cultural Office or MECO. —AOL, GMA Integrated News