Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung visited the Philippines, a diplomatic source in Taiwan said Thursday, marking a rare instance in which a visit to the country by the island’s foreign minister has become public.
The Chinese government criticized the move, saying it opposes any form of official exchange between Taiwan and countries with which Beijing has diplomatic ties.
When Lin visited Japan in July, China responded similarly. Beijing regards the democratically ruled island as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that a business delegation of Taiwanese and U.S. personnel visited the Philippines, but declined to say whether Lin was part of the group, according to the island’s Central News Agency.
The delegation reportedly visited an area related to the Philippines’ Luzon Economic Corridor infrastructure project, in which the United States and Japan are also involved.
Both the Philippines and Taiwan have tense relations with China, with Manila squabbling with Beijing over territorial claims in the vast South China Sea.
Lobbing a warning at the Philippines, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference on Thursday that Manila should adhere to the one-China principle, or it may suffer the consequences.
The government in Taipei has been strengthening economic ties with the Philippines in recent years, including through efforts to boost cooperation in areas in which Taiwan has an edge, such as semiconductors.
China, led by the Communist Party, and Taiwan have been governed separately since they split in 1949 following a civil war.
