Manila does damage control after 'playing with fire'

The Philippine government has reaffirmed its commitment to the one-China principle, which is its long-standing policy and enjoys wide support from local people.

The country's foreign affairs department issued a clarification on Tuesday after President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr made remarks on social media on the Taiwan leadership election, which were strongly opposed by Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning warned Manila not to play with fire on the Taiwan question and to stop sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.