TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a speech on Friday (Sept. 23) called for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, prompting words of gratitude from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

While promoting his country's bid as a non-permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council for the 2027-2028 term, Marcos stated that the Philippines has many years of experience in promoting peace and international cooperation. He expressed his country's concern about the rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and urged all parties involved to "exercise maximum restraint."

Marcos stressed that "dialogue and diplomacy must prevail." He said that the Philippines subscribes to the "one China" policy and has "consistently called for the peaceful resolution of their (China's) issues involving Taiwan."

During a question and answer session with Asia Society President and CEO Kevin Rudd asked Marcos to comment on his view on his country's future relationship with Japan. He responded by saying that he had recently met with Japanese Kishida Fumio, with whom he discussed a number of issues including U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, and "I think it's no surprise to anyone that they are terribly concerned, not only of China but because of the recent events, we have focused on the Taiwan situation."

He pointed out that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, "highlighted once again the simmering tensions that, as I said, were beneath the surface but now have surfaced out into the open."

On Sunday (Sept. 25), MOFA issued a statement saying this is the second time Marcos has publicly expressed concern about tensions in the Taiwan Strait, with the first being made during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Aug. 6. The ministry stated that it has taken note of these remarks, and thanked President Marcos for his continued focus on peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

MOFA stated this demonstrates China has "frequently engaged in unprovoked military actions in the Taiwan Strait since August of this year, which has aroused great concern from neighboring countries." The ministry then called on the international community to jointly condemn China's "unilateral military actions that undermine the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and support democratic Taiwan in curbing authoritarian aggression and expansion."

The ministry pledged that Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and cooperate with like-minded countries in maintaining the security of the Taiwan Strait and the "freedom, openness, peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region."