China pressured the Philippines following Marcos' congrats - Taiwan

 China pressured the Philippines following Marcos' congrats - Taiwan

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed on Wednesday that following President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s congratulations to Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching Te, China has increased pressure on the Philippines.

Marcos and "other international friends for their congratulations on Taiwan’s successful completion of elections," the Taiwanese foreign ministry commended in a statement.

More than 100 countries around the world expressed their sincere congratulations to Taiwan for the peacefully conducted democratic elections that were held on January 13, the Taiwanese government said.

"However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has noted that since Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. congratulated Taiwan, China has been strongly pressuring the Philippines and making crude and insulting comments," it stated.

China's petty reaction, Taiwan claimed, "stands in stark contrast, demonstrating that China's communist system does not understand the true meaning of democracy and flagrantly tramples democratic values," while other nations were applauding Taiwan's democratic accomplishments.

The declaration was made the day after Marcos claimed that the Philippines was still following the One-China Policy in an exclusive interview.

He continued, calling his congratulations to the incoming president of Taiwan "common courtesy."

China encouraged Nauru to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China immediately after the elections, and it also prompted remarks criticizing Taiwan's sovereign status from Bangladesh, the Maldives, and the Solomon Islands, according to the Taiwanese ministry.

Additionally, it stated, "China has put pressure on ASEAN nations to adopt the false narrative of the so-called 'one China principle'."

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it denounced "China’s malicious actions in the strongest terms and calls on all like-minded democratic countries to continue cooperating to help stop China’s authoritarian expansionism in the region and the world."

Taiwan's ministry remarked, "MOFA once again extends its heartfelt gratitude to President Marcos of the Philippines and other international friends for their congratulations on Taiwan's successful completion of elections."

Taiwan will persistently uphold democratic achievements, being a beacon of democracy and freedom as well as a bulwark of human rights and the rule of law in Asia, it continued.