Philippines apologizes to China for Taiwan logo gaffe

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines apologized to China yesterday, days after embarrassingly using the logo of rival Taiwan at an official defense ministry ceremony to accept a Chinese donation of rifles and ammunition.

A banner with the logos of the Philippine and Taiwanese defense ministries hung above the stage Thursday as Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Chinese ambassador Zhao Jianhua sat together to witness the weapons turnover.

“Military assistance gratis from the Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China,” read the banner, with the wrong logo apparently not attracting attention at the time.

“The Department of National Defense committed a grievous but purely unintentional mistake of using a different logo on a banner to represent the Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic of China,” said a Philippine defense ministry statement.

“We have issued an official apology to the government and the people of the People’s Republic of China,” it said, adding that Philippine defense authorities and the military “strictly adhere” to Manila’s “One China Policy.”

The Philippines has no diplomatic ties with self-ruling Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province.

The Chinese embassy could not be reached for comment.

The Philippines, a military ally of the United States for decades, is trying under President Duterte to build warmer relations with China.

The weapons from China were the second batch to be delivered to the Philippines this year to help Duterte fight Islamist militants who have been occupying parts of the southern city of Marawi since May.

The two neighbors had long been at loggerheads over disputed islands and waters in the South China Sea, though Duterte has sought to play down the issue as he seeks more trade and investment from Beijing. – Jaime Laude, AFP