Taiwan to open new office in Cebu; China warns

Local

THE Taiwanese government plans on opening a new office in Cebu, a move that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) said may endanger China-Philippine ties.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung on Sept. 15 announced that they want to set up a ‘representative office’ in the province of Cebu to serve businesspeople and travelers, according to Taiwanese media reports.

Though no definite timeline has been revealed, Lin, in an interview with Japanese publisher Nikkei Asia, said the upcoming office aims to boost bilateral ties between the Philippines and Taiwan, especially as the two countries proposed launching the Taiwan-Philippines Economic Corridor.

Lin, in the meantime, described the central Philippines region as a popular tourism destination for Taiwanese travelers.

News of Taiwan’s plans to open a secondary representative office in Cebu reached the attention of the PRC, who said it was ‘doomed to fail.’

PRC Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun also

urged the Philippine government to follow the “one-China principle with concrete actions.”

Otherwise, it would only harm China-Philippines relations, he added.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila posted a transcription of Jiakun’s response on social media.

“Let me stress again, no matter how the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) authorities collude with external forces to seek "diplomatic breakthroughs" and advance their separatist agenda in whatever form, such attempts will be all in vain and doomed to fail,” the envoy was quoted in saying.(RBE)