(May 19): The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the island democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing.
“In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday.
The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he will meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security cooperation. Takaichi late last year also made comments about being pulled into a conflict over Taiwan, causing a deep diplomatic rupture with China.
Taiwan is central to geopolitical and economic priorities in Asia, as the world’s top producer of high-end semiconductors that Beijing has said it’s determined to eventually control. While the US doesn’t support independence, it opposes “unilateral changes to the status quo” and has long sold weapons to Taipei to deter any aggression.
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump last week in unusually stark terms during his visit to Beijing that mishandling the issue risks leading to clashes. And Trump’s comments following the meetings raised concerns over US commitments to Taiwan.
Trump referred to a pending US$14 billion ($17.9 billion) arms sale as “a very good negotiating chip for us” with Beijing, an apparent shift in long-standing US policy, without saying what he was seeking. He also said aboard Air Force One on his way back to Washington that a move by Taiwan for independence “would be a very strong confrontation,” and “the last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away.”
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Marcos in the interview Monday added the Philippines will continue to uphold its “One China” policy and doesn’t want to be involved in any war over Taiwan, but would be forced to given its geography.
“Except that if there is actual confrontation, if there is conflict, just looking at the map, you can tell that the northern Philippines, at the very least, is going to be part of that or will feel the effects,” he said.
He didn’t elaborate on how the Philippines, a US treaty ally, would be involved or how it would be affected. Earlier this month, the US, Japan and the Philippines, along with other allies, participated in joint military drills that included Tokyo’s first combat troops in the Philippines since World War II.
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The Philippine leader has made similar comments on Taiwan before, angering Beijing last year when he said a war over Taiwan “will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict.”
The Philippines has emerged on the frontlines of US-led efforts to deter what Washington calls Beijing’s aggression in the region.
The Southeast Asian nation under Marcos has hosted US missile systems and has granted US military access to additional bases, including those near Taiwan. But Marcos has said the Philippines will not allow those bases “to be used for any offensive action,” saying they are meant to bolster his country’s territorial defense.
Marcos on Monday also said the Philippines, which has a territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea, is increasing its engagement with China to help maintain peace.
“We have raised now the level of engagement with China,” Marcos said. The Philippines and China’s top diplomats, as well as other public officials, are scheduled to meet “in less than a month’s time,” he said.
During his meeting with Takaichi, Marcos said he would seek clarity on Japan’s security posture after Tokyo eased rules on defense exports.
He said Japan — which has its own maritime dispute with Beijing in the East China Sea — and the Philippines have experienced “the same difficulties in terms of coercive acts” in contested waters.
“We would like to hear more about how — what exactly does Japan intend to do and what they are willing to do,” Marcos said.
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