China has accused the Philippines of "playing with fire" after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Southeast Asian nation would inevitably be drawn into any conflict between China and the United States over Taiwan.

The comments, made during Marcos' state visit to India, cited the Philippines' geographical proximity to Taiwan and the large Filipino community living there as reasons the country could not remain on the sidelines in such a scenario.

"If there is an all-out war, then we will be drawn into it," Marcos told Indian media outlet Firstpost on Wednesday, stressing that the presence of many Filipino nationals in Taiwan would create "an immediate humanitarian problem."

"We will have to go in there, find a way to go in there, and find a way to bring our people home," he added. In response, China’s Foreign Ministry rejected Marcos' position, saying "'Geographical proximity’ and 'large overseas populations' are not excuses for a country to interfere in the internal affairs of others."

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'Adhere to One-China principle'

Beijing urged Manila to "earnestly adhere to the one-China principle … and refrain from playing with fire on issues concerning China’s core interests." It warned that such arguments "not only violate international law and the ASEAN charter, but also undermine regional peace and stability and the fundamental interests of [the Philippines’] own people."

Earlier this year, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin warned the Philippines on February 8 against crossing China's "red lines" when it comes to the Taiwan matter, stressing that it should not "play with fire".

Wenbin's remarks followed Filipino Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro's call to fortify the Philippines' security and military presence in the Mavulis islands, located between the Province of Batanes and Taiwan. 

"The Taiwan issue is the main one of China's core interests and a ’red line’ that cannot be crossed, the relevant [persons] in the Philippines should have a clear understanding of this, act with caution, and not play with fire on the Taiwan issue to avoid being used and harmed," Wenbin said in a statement.

The events come amid rising tensions involving China and the Philippines and an escalation in the South China Sea, where both Beijing and Manila accuse each other of aggressive maneuvers and sovereignty violations, with the US stoking the fires by militarizing the Philippines and region. The strategic waterway has become a flashpoint for maritime confrontations and diplomatic protests.