Foreign Minister Lin Jialong recently confirmed that Taiwan is planning to open an additional office in Cebu, central Philippines, hoping to serve local Taiwanese businessmen, tourists and expatriates, and promote the "Taiwan-Philippines Economic Corridor". After the news came to light, China's Taiwan Affairs Office immediately expressed "firm opposition" and demanded that the Philippines stop so-called "official exchanges" with Taiwan, indicating that Taiwan's normal expansion of foreign exchanges has once again triggered a high degree of reaction from Beijing.
Lin Jialong pointed out that Taiwan-Philippine relations have continued to advance in recent years. In addition to cooperation between the two sides such as visa exemption and avoidance of double taxation, Taiwan also hopes to open an additional office in Cebu to strengthen the flow of people, logistics and financial flows. The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated recently that although it follows the "one-China policy", this does not prevent the Philippines and Taiwan from promoting economic, cultural and functional cooperation, showing that Taiwan and the Philippines have substantial needs for exchanges.
In the face of normal exchanges between Taiwan and the Philippines, China's Taiwan Affairs Office requires the Philippines to abide by what it calls the "one-China principle" and accuses Taiwan of "relying on foreign countries to seek independence." Beijing even claimed that Taiwan "cannot change and is part of China" and tried to set restrictions on exchanges between the Philippines and Taiwan based on political stance. This move reflects that the CCP is not only concerned about cross-Strait relations, but also attempts to extend its political views on Taiwan to third countries’ Taiwan policies.
It is worth noting that the Philippine government has clearly distinguished its own "one-China policy" from the "one-China principle" required by China, and emphasized that economic, cultural and functional cooperation between the Philippines and Taiwan will not be affected. The Chinese Communist Party immediately voiced its opposition to Taiwan's establishment of an office in the Philippines, indicating that Beijing is still trying to limit Taiwan's external exchange space through diplomatic pressure and prevent Taiwan from deepening substantive cooperation with regional countries.
Generally speaking, Taiwan plans to open an additional office in Cebu, mainly to serve Taiwanese businessmen and expatriates and promote economic and trade exchanges between Taiwan and the Philippines. However, the CCP has quickly put pressure on the Philippines under the "One China" framework, highlighting its high sensitivity to Taiwan's expansion of international exchanges. When the Philippines also emphasizes that it follows its "one-China policy" and maintains functional cooperation with Taiwan, it also shows that Beijing's requirement for third countries to fully adopt its stance on Taiwan is not without controversy; in the future, the CCP may continue to exert pressure on Taiwan-Philippines exchanges through diplomacy and public opinion manipulation.
