Philippines' Marcos says China 'misinterpreted' his comments on Taiwan
China accused Marcos of "playing with fire" after the Philippine leader said during a visit to India that "there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it" due to its proximity to the democratically governed island.
"We are, I think for propaganda purposes, misinterpreted," Marcos told a press briefing.
"I'm a little bit perplexed why it would be characterised as such, as playing with fire," he added.
Marcos said Filipinos working and living in Taiwan will have to be evacuated if a conflict does arise but maintained that he wishes to avoid confrontation and war.
Over a hundred thousand Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, according to Philippine government data.
"War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say," Marcos said.
Marcos' comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway where the two countries have had a series of maritime run-ins over the past years.
On Monday, a Philippine vessel transporting provisions to Filipino fishermen in the
Scarborough Shoal was sprayed at with a water cannon by a Chinese coast guard ship, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The vessel managed to evade being hit.
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's remarks.
Responding to the Monday incident, China's coast guard said it had taken necessary measures to expel Philippine vessels from Scarborough Shoal, which China claims as its own territory.
It described the operation as "professional, standardised, legitimate and legal."
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal voided Beijing's sweeping claims in the region, saying they had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.
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