TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. congratulated President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Monday evening (Jan. 15).
Marcos posted a message on X to congratulate Lai on his presidential win. Since the Philippines severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1975, it has followed a "one China" policy and it is rare for a Filipino president to congratulate an elected president of Taiwan.
Marcos wrote that on behalf of the people of the Philippines, "I congratulate President-elect Lai Ching-te on his election as Taiwan's next President. Marcos' use of the words "Taiwan President" is a first since he took office, according to Rti.
He added that he looks forward to "close collaboration, strengthening mutual interests, fostering peace, and ensuring prosperity for our peoples in the years ahead."
Lai retweeted Marcos' post and thanked him for his congratulatory message. He wrote that he deeply values the "enduring friendship between Taiwan and the Philippines."
He reciprocated Marcos' sentiments by saying he too looks forward to "enhancing our economic and people-to-people ties, while championing democracy, peace, and prosperity in the region."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also retweeted Marcos' post expressing its gratitude. The ministry also expressed its anticipation of "fostering an increasingly robust partnership to promote our nations' shared interests as well as Indo-Pacific peace and prosperity."
Although U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron congratulated "Dr. Lai Ching-te" on his presidential win on X, many U.S. allies such as Germany, France, and South Korea failed to mention his name or title in their congratulatory messages. In the case of Germany, it was the first time the country had congratulated Taiwan on a successful presidential election in 12 years.
Shen Jung-chin (沈榮欽), an assistant professor at York University, over Facebook on Monday said Marcos had previously declared that the Philippines would abide by the "one China" policy and would not have informal official exchanges with Taiwan. He noted that traditionally, the Philippines president does not directly congratulate the Taiwanese president-elect, but Marcos not only broke with the convention, he took the unprecedented step to directly address Lai by name.
Shen believed that this "seemed to imply that the two countries may have closer cooperation in the future."
On behalf of the Filipino people, I congratulate President-elect Lai Ching-te on his election as Taiwan's next President.
We look forward to close collaboration, strengthening mutual interests, fostering peace, and ensuring prosperity for our peoples in the years ahead.
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) January 15, 2024
