On January 14, Taiwan held elections for the head of the local administration and members of parliament. Lai Qingde, a representative of the Democratic Progressive Party, who is the current deputy head of the administration, won more than 40% of the votes.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. congratulated the new chief of staff on his election victory. Nevertheless, the Foreign Ministry stressed that the congratulation was a way of expressing gratitude to the Taiwanese authorities for the employment of Filipino workers.
About 200 thousand Filipinos work in production in Taiwan, the Foreign Ministry explained. The Philippines also confirms its policy of following the principle of "one China" and recognizes Taiwan as one of the provinces of the People's Republic of China.
