US Vice President Kamala Harris yesterday arrived in the Philippines for talks aimed at reviving ties with the former US colony, an Asian ally that is central to US efforts to counter China’s increasingly assertive policies toward Taiwan.
Harris, who is to meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, visits the region as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to shore up relations with allies worried about growing Chinese influence in Southeast Asia and possible conflict over Taiwan.
The Philippines is an important part of the diplomatic push. Military access to the country, just 193km from Taiwan and adjacent to the South China Sea, would greatly complicate any attempt by China to invade Taiwan, military analysts say.
Photo: AFP
“It makes sense to invest high-level attention to restore deepened cooperation across the board with this youthful, populous, prospering, and strategically located ally,” said Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asia under former US president Barack Obama and now vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society.
Earlier, Harris said she had told Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), whom she met on Saturday at the APEC summit in Thailand, that Washington did not seek confrontation with China.
“We welcome competition but we do not see conflict, we do not seek confrontation,” Harris told a news conference in Bangkok before leaving for Manila.
Her visit would be the highest-level trip to the Philippines by an administration official and marks a sharp turnaround in relations.
The leaders are expected to discuss Taiwan and the South China Sea, as well as share notes on Marcos’ Thursday meeting with Xi and Biden’s with the Chinese leader on Monday last week.
“The US is not taking us for granted,” Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said. “Marcos, of course, is responding to this in a manner that shows the US that we are your friends.”
In Asia, the US faces challenges in building a coalition to deter Chinese action against Taiwan. Many countries in the region are reluctant to antagonize their giant neighbor, which is not just a military power, but also a key trading partner and source of investment.
Harris would send a pointed symbolic message to China tomorrow when she meets members of the Philippines’ coast guard in a Palawan province island city at the edge of the South China Sea.
Beijing claims some territories in the waters off Palawan and much of that sea, which is believed to contain massive oil and gas deposits.
Washington is investing millions to help modernize the Philippine military, but the country has not committed to supporting any US intervention in a conflict over Taiwan.
Romualdez said in September that the Philippines would only offer assistance “if it is important for us, for our own security.”
“Any overt campaign planning against China, planning for Taiwan, is still very sensitive,” former US assistant secretary of defense Randall Schriver said. “All of that has to be navigated carefully.”
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College