CHINA/DIPLOMACY
Philippines eases restrictions on official travel to the island of Taiwan; experts warn move amounts to dangerous maneuvering on Taiwan question
Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gestures to army officers as he delivers a speech during the 128th founding anniversary of the Philippine army at its headquarters in Manila on March 22, 2025. Photo: VCG
The Philippines issued a memorandum circular on Monday, easing long standing restrictions on official travel to the island of Taiwan. Experts warned that the move, though framed as economically motivated, amounts to dangerous political maneuvering concerning the Taiwan question.
According to the Office of the President of the Philippines, the new directive exempts all officials but the president, vice president, secretary of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of National Defense to visit the island for "economic, trade and investment" purposes using ordinary passports and without their official titles.
Malacañang framed the move as a bid to "further maximize opportunities for the development and expansion of the Philippines' priority areas of investments." The move changes the country's previous executive order that prohibits officials of the Philippine government to visit Taiwan and to receive visiting officials from the island of Taiwan.
The Philippines' decision to ease restrictions on visits to the island of Taiwan under the pretext of economic development is a dangerous move that seeks to meddle in China's internal affairs by exploiting the Taiwan question, which will ultimately backfire, Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
China is the Philippines' largest trading partner, as well as the largest trading partner of ASEAN. What the Philippines needs for its economic development is deeper cooperation with China, not attempts to engage in political maneuvering. Any move by the Philippines to interfere in the Taiwan question will not only jeopardize its ties with the China but also heighten regional instability and trigger discontent among ASEAN members, Chen said.
If the Philippines continues to politicize the Taiwan question, such actions will create unease within ASEAN, foster internal divisions and discord, undermine regional balance, and could ultimately leave the Philippines isolated from other ASEAN members, Chen warned.
According to the memorandum circular, Philippines' officials wanting to visit the island of Taiwan will now need to inform the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) of the purpose of their visit prior to their departure; and coordinate with MECO during their visit. The directive has spared the requirement of officials to submit a report of their visit to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The circular also permitsPhilippine government officials and/or agencies, through MECO, to receive delegations from Taiwan for economic, trade and investment purposes, and only require them to inform MECO at least five days prior to the visit and submit a report to MECO and the country's Department of Foreign Affairs regarding the visit.
At this particular juncture, the Philippines' decision to adjust its policy on Taiwan-related affairs under the guise of economic and trade activities is essentially an attempt to further involve itself in the question and to project a tougher stance toward China. These moves challenge the one-China principle, Ge Hongliang, vice dean of the ASEAN College at Guangxi Minzu University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
While engaging in provocative actions concerning Taiwan-related affairs, the Philippines is also aligning itself with the US, Ge noted. He said the ongoing "Balikatan" joint military exercise between the US and the Philippines, along with the Philippine government's improper and ill-intentioned policies on Taiwan, could further destabilize the situation in the South China Sea, and the broader region.
US and Philippine armed forces launched their largest annual joint military exercise "Balikatan" on Monday. According to media reports, troops from the two countries are participating in drills that are staged in western and northern Philippine locations facing the South China Sea and the island of Taiwan,
Responding to media inquiry that a Philippine brigadier general claimed that Manila regards the annual joint military exercise with the US launched on Monday as a rehearsal for their defense, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said later that same day that with the world being hit by unilateralism, protectionism and bullying, countries in this region have been calling for greater solidarity, coordination, and joint efforts to keep the region stable and respond to challenges.
Against this backdrop, the Philippines chose to conduct the large-scale military drills with this country outside the region and brought in strategic and tactical weapons to the detriment of regional strategic stability and regional economic prospects, which puts them on the opposite side of regional countries. This act has been detested and opposed by regional countries, Guo said.
Guo emphasized that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair and is at the core of China's core interests. China firmly opposes any country using the Taiwan question as an excuse to strengthen military deployment in the region, heighten tensions and confrontation, and disturb regional peace and stability. We urge relevant sides not to make provocation on the Taiwan question. Those who play with fire will perish by it.
