MANILA: The Philippines would likely be involved in any potential conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (pic) said, reiterating a stance that risks riling up 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 (May 18).
The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he’ll meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security cooperation.
Marcos added the Philippines doesn’t want to be involved in any war over Taiwan, a self-governing island, 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.
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.”
Taiwan was discussed during the summit of US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week, with the Chinese leader warning the US that mishandling it could lead to clashes.
Xi "does not want to see a fight for independence, because that would be a very strong confrontation,” Trump said after the meetings.
The Philippines, which has a territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea, is increasing its engagement with China to help maintain peace, Marcos said.
"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 a 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. - Bloomberg
