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MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday that Beijing has “misinterpreted” his comments saying Manila will be inevitably drawn in to a conflict between China and Taiwan should one erupt.

China accused Marcos of “playing with fire” after the Philippine leader said during a visit to India that “there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it” due to its proximity to the democratically governed island.

“We are, I think for propaganda purposes, misinterpreted,” Marcos told a press briefing.

“I’m a little bit perplexed why it would be characterized as such, as playing with fire,” he added.

Marcos said Filipinos working and living in Taiwan will have to be evacuated if a conflict does arise but maintained that he wishes to avoid confrontation and war.

Over a hundred thousand Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, according to Philippine government data.

“War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say,” Marcos said.

Marcos’ comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway where the two countries have had a series of maritime run-ins over the past years.

On Monday, a Philippine vessel transporting provisions to Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal was sprayed at with a water cannon by a Chinese coast guard ship, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The vessel managed to evade being hit.

China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president’s remarks.

Responding to the Monday incident, China’s coast guard said it had taken necessary measures to expel Philippine vessels from Scarborough Shoal, which China claims as its own territory.

It described the operation as “professional, standardized, legitimate and legal.”

A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal voided Beijing’s sweeping claims in the region, saying they had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.

TOKYO: Downpours on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu caused flooding and mudslides, injuring a number of people and impacting travel during a Buddhist holiday week. Several people were reported missing.
The torrential rain that began late last week left one person missing and four others injured in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima. The low-pressure system stuck over the region has since dumped more rain in the northern parts of Kyushu.
The Japan Meteorological Agency early Monday issued the highest-level warning in Kumamoto. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency issued evacuation adviseries to tens of thousands of people in Kumamoto and six other prefectures in the region.
Rescue workers in the region were searching for several people.
In Kumamoto, they were looking for three people. A family of three was hit by a mudslide while driving to an evacuation center. Two were dug out alive but a third person was still missing. Two others were missing elsewhere in the prefecture.
Several other people were also reported missing after falling into swollen rivers in Kumamoto and nearby Fukuoka prefecture.
Television footage showed muddy water gushing down, carrying broken trees and branches, and residents wading through knee-deep floodwater.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said his government was supporting search and rescue operations for the missing and helping others in affected areas. He urged residents “to use maximum caution,” encouraging them to “please prioritize actions to save your lives.”
Heavy rain also impacted people traveling during Japan’s Buddhist “bon” holiday week.
Bullet trains connecting Kagoshima and Hakata in northern Kyushu, as well as local train services, were suspended Monday morning. Services were partially resumed in areas where the rain subsided. About 6,000 households were out of power in Kumamoto, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co.