China clarifies envoy's remarks on Taiwan, OFWs after senator's call to recall

China's Ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, urged the Philippines to oppose Taiwan's independence and deny US troops access to local military bases, linking this to the safety of 150,000 overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila later stated that reports had misquoted or misinterpreted Ambassador Huang's remarks about the OFWs and that his words were taken out of context.

This clarification came after Senator Risa Hontiveros asked the Philippine government to recall the Chinese envoy for his statement, asserting that the Philippines will never interfere with China's issue with Taiwan.

For weeks, Huang had been adamant that the four new sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) would be used by the US to support Taiwan's bid for independence.

Filipino and US officials stated that the expansion of EDCA sites aims to improve interoperability for responding to external threats and natural disasters.

A Filipino official, Silvestro Bello, chairperson of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), questioned why China linked American military access to Philippine military sites to the employment of OFWs in Taiwan, noting similar arrangements exist across Asia.

Bello further asked why China was not complaining about other similar arrangements in Asia and relating them to the situation of OFWs, who he stated are in Taiwan to make a decent living.