Tien, Chung-kwang
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
June 14, 2024
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good evening!
It is an honor to attend tonight’s reception celebrating the 126th Independence Day of the Republic of the Philippines. On behalf of Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the people and government of the Philippines on this auspicious occasion.
Taiwan and the Philippines are long-standing friends and partners. We can trace our history back to common Austronesian roots. Indeed, the language used by the Yami people on Taiwan’s Orchid Island is similar to the language used on the Batanes Islands in the Philippines.
Since the launch of the New Southbound Policy in 2016, Taiwan-Philippine ties have continued to deepen. In recent years, bilateral people-to-people exchanges have steadily increased, making our nations closer than ever. The number of direct weekly flights between our two countries has reached 254 so far this year—twice that of 2023. In the first two months of 2024 alone, over 44,000 Taiwanese traveled to the Philippines, making Taiwan its seventh-largest source of foreign tourists. During that same period, some 73,000 Filipinos visited Taiwan. And the Ministry of Foreign Affairs just announced a one-year extension of visa-free entry for Philippine nationals. We hope that the Philippines will reciprocate by offering more favorable visa treatment to Taiwanese citizens. Cebu, Palawan, Coron, and Boracay are all well-known destinations for Taiwanese travelers and divers. I believe that all Taiwanese friends present tonight hope to travel to the Philippines visa-free in the near future!
In 2023, Taiwan was the Philippines’ eighth-largest export market, its ninth-largest trading partner, and its 10th-largest source of imports. Last year, Taiwan was also the ninth-largest source of direct investment in the Philippines. In the first quarter of this year, Taiwanese investment in the Philippines stood at 23.6 million US dollars, a five-fold increase on the same period last year. Moreover, the Philippines is the third-largest source of migrant workers in Taiwan. Filipino workers contribute greatly to the economic prosperity of both our countries, and Taiwan warmly welcomes them.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his warm congratulations following Taiwan’s presidential election in January, as well as for his compassionate message after the Hualien earthquake on April 3. Taiwan and the Philippines are both prone to natural disasters. For this reason, we are always among the first to help each other in times of need. This February, Taiwan donated 200,000 US dollars to assist the victims of floods and landslides in Davao. We also collaborate with the Philippine Bureau of Fire Protection to train firefighters for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
Taiwan and the Philippines are facing unprecedented threats from authoritarian expansionism. As partners that share the values of freedom and democracy, our two nations must stand together to safeguard peace and stability in the region. To echo PBBM’s historical speech in Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue this year, “peace, security and stability are the business of all countries”, Taiwan will continue to serve as a longstanding and trustworthy partner of the Philippines to contribute to the order and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. Through joint efforts, I am confident that in the years ahead Taiwan and the Philippines will continue to strengthen mutually beneficial relations for the well-being of both our peoples and the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.
In closing, I would like to propose a toast: to the continued prosperity of the Philippines, to the ever-closer friendship between our two countries, and to the health and happiness of tonight’s guests. Cheers!