Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said that his country could get involved in a conflict in the Taiwan Strait due to its proximity to the island.
Tensions have escalated around Taiwan in recent years, with China regularly flying military jets near the island and the US preparing for a possible military conflict with China over Taiwan in 2025.
Marcos stated that his home province of Ilocos Norte is just a 40-minute flight away from southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung and that his country feels like they are “very much on the front line.”
In case of a conflict, the welfare of 150,000 Filipinos in Taiwan would be the president’s priority. He also said that the Philippines’ foreign policy is committed to peace and guided by national interest and that differences should be solved diplomatically instead of militarily.
The rising tensions in the region have pushed the Philippines to strengthen its defense ties with the US and Japan. Safeguarding the Philippines’ territorial waters in the disputed South China Sea is central to efforts to step up security arrangements with the US and Japan.
Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to find ways to bolster their countries’ defense ties, including a possible visiting forces agreement, which would make it easier for Japanese troops to be deployed in the Philippines for disaster response and military drills.
Marcos granted the US military access to additional four Philippine bases and the expanded base access deal is part of efforts to strengthen and modernize the Philippines and US alliance under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
Marcos said the Philippines wanted Filipino fishermen to be able to fish in their traditional fishing grounds and that they are doing all they can to protect their maritime territory.
China is the Philippines’ top trading partner, and Marcos said that none of the security deals with the US and Japan were directed against China and that the coordination and joint exercises with other countries were a response to the heightening of tensions in the region.
