Hontiveros urges gov't to tell China to recall envoy
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros urges the government to tell China to recall its ambassador ''as soon as possible'' after his alleged comments '' advising'' the Philippines not to support Taiwanese independence.
''The Palace should tell Beijing to recall their representative in Manila as soon as possible. He has no business being a diplomat if he is unable to engage with us in a respectful and dignified manner,'' said Hontiveros in her Facebook page.
''These are truly disgraceful statements from Ambassador Huang Xilian. How dare he threaten us,'' said Hontiveros.
Huang said Friday he called on the Philippines to oppose the supposed "Taiwan independence" by not giving American troops access to Philippine military bases.
Huang said the Philippines must do that if it "cares genuinely about the 150,000 OFWs (overseas Filipino workers)" in Taiwan, reports said.
'' We will never let Beijing decide on the future of Filipino families. Their destiny is not in China’s hands'', said Hontiveros.
Hontiveros said the Philippines will never interfere with the issue of Taiwanese independence.
''That is exclusively for the people of Taiwan to tackle. We, in the Philippines, respect the right of the Taiwanese people to self-determination, and this right must be upheld by all other nations that share this planet, even including the autocratic regime of China,'' she said.
''If China has issues with the US, she shouldn’t drag our country into their fight,'' said Hontiveros. DMS
