Taiwan welcomes the Philippine government decision to remove it from the travel ban, which was implemented earlier because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The ban on Taiwan was lifted a few days after Taipei threatened counter-measures against Manila.
In a statement, the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office, Taipei’s de-facto embassy in Manila, expressed “deep appreciation to all Filipino friends who have voiced their sincere support for removing Taiwan from the temporary travel ban.”
RELATED STORY: PH-Taiwan flights resume after lifting of travel ban
“We especially commend the Manila Economic and Cultural Office for its tireless efforts to help remove Taiwan from the travel ban. The Republic of China (Taiwan) attaches great importance to its long-standing relationship with the Republic of the Philippines. We are determined to strengthen our bilateral ties and promote our people-to-people connectivity,” the statement said.
Taiwan also said that it has taken all measures needed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“Taiwan will continue to work closely with the international community, including the Philippines, to fight against the COVID-19 to safeguard the health and welfare of humanity,” the TECO statement said.
A self-ruling democratic island, Taiwan separated from mainland China in 1949. However, Beijing still considers Taiwan as part of China.
The World Health Organization has also labeled Taiwan as Chinese territory and has lumped its coronavirus cases with China, prompting countries, including the Philippines, to enforce a travel ban.
READ ON: Philippines lifts travel ban to Taiwan
Such a move was denounced by the Taiwanese government.
Manila and Taipei have no formal diplomatic ties in deference to the ‘One-China’ Policy. Taiwan is represented by TECO, which acts as its embassy in the Philippines.
There are about 115,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, mostly working in factories.
