Communist China has never been great at making friends, but this week it made a strategic blunder with its South Pacific neighbors.
As reported in India’s The Print, China crossed the line when it threatened the Philippine president for expressing support for the new Taiwanese president, prompting a savage rebuke from the Philippines’ secretary of defense.
The outlet reported Thursday that officials from Beijing warned Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “not to play with fire” after he congratulated Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te on last week’s victory.
Apparently, Marcos’ expression of his eagerness to work with the new Taiwanese president was too much for China’s leaders, who claim Taiwan as a part of China and react with extreme displeasure when anyone recognizes it as a sovereign nation.
The Manila Bulletin reported Wednesday that China “summoned Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Jaime FlorCruz and tagged Marcos’ actions as a ‘grave violation of the One-China principle and the communiqué on the establishment of China-Philippine diplomatic relations.’”
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In response, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., the secretary of the Philippines’ Department of National Defense, issued a statement Wednesday that did not mince words in calling out China for the bullying tactics.
Teodoro said it was “unfortunate” that the spokeswoman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, “stooped to such low and gutter level talk — resorting to insulting our President and the Filipino nation, and further debasing herself, the Ministry, and Party she represents in the process.”
He didn’t stop there, however.
“But then again, we should not at all be surprised — being a nation and people enjoying the privileges, rights, and freedoms of a democratic society — that an agent of a Party and system of government incompatible with our way of life and who routinely spouts State-sanctioned propaganda and disinformation would go that far and that low,” the defense secretary said.
“It is unfortunate, but I am, myself, unsurprised,” Teodoro concluded. “The Spokesperson’s statements were ‘on brand.’ We, and the world, should not expect more.”
In the wake of this savage rebuttal, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its gratitude.
“Kudos to Secretary Teodoro,” it said in a social media post Thursday.
“There’re good neighbors & bad,” the ministry said. “The #PRC is off the charts in its own gutter-low type where it insults PBBM & bullies the #Philippines in the maritime domain. Democracies should join hands to flush it out of our system.”
Kudos to Secretary Teodoro. There’re good neighbors & bad. The #PRC is off the charts in its own gutter-low type where it insults PBBM & bullies the #Philippines in the maritime domain. Democracies should join hands to flush it out of our system. 🇹🇼🤝🇵🇭 JW https://t.co/sku3jeSIpZ
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) January 18, 2024
Still, the Philippines and other countries in the region find themselves in a tight place. Even if they vehemently disagree with China’s human rights violations and imperialist agenda, they risk a disproportionate reprisal if they express that displeasure openly.
Even in reporting on this story, the Manila Bulletin was careful to note that “China claims the self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory under the One-China Policy” and to say the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs “clarified that Marcos only expressed gratitude to Taiwan for hosting thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) there, and the Philippines still adheres to the Chinese principle.”
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Some might ask, why is this important for us in the U.S. to know? It’s just the internal squabbles between nations half a planet away; it shouldn’t be that much of a concern for us.
Not exactly. It’s important to remember China’s long game.
China vehemently opposes Taiwanese independence, and the acknowledgment thereof by other nations, because its goal is to become the world’s next superpower, rivaling and ultimately surpassing the United States.
Subduing Taiwan, the Philippines and the other roadblocks on its doorstep is a necessary step in fulfilling that goal.
America has many interests in this part of the world. If tensions between China and these nations erupt into war, it’s inevitably going to involve the U.S. in one capacity or another.
