The Philippines is seeking closer ties with Taiwan and stronger military ties with nations focused on deterring China’s “nefarious plans,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro said.
In an interview at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Teodoro outlined deepening military ties with a vast network of US allies or defense partners.
He described deepening relationships with countries such as Japan, Vietnam and Taiwan as part of a “convergence endeavor” bound by a common goal.
Photo: Reuters
“We don’t want to get characterized as a bloc, but as an active defense alliance,” Teodoro said, adding that although the nations have differences, “in the need to deter, we are unanimous.”
The call for stronger bonds comes as the Philippines tussle with Beijing in hostile skirmishes over disputed reefs in the South China Sea.
Security ties between the US and Manila have significantly improved under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who warned last month that the Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity.
As part of its strategy, the Philippines must evolve relations with Taiwan in “non-taboo areas” short of diplomatic recognition, maintaining its “one China” policy, Teodoro said.
That includes a burgeoning Taiwan-Philippines economic corridor that he described as “very important for our defense space indirectly.”
The Philippines has “no political objection” to providing safe harbor in its northern provinces for civilians caught in a conflict involving Taiwan, he said.
“The Philippines is open, actually, for humanitarian reasons to those who wish to flee,” Teodoro said, adding that 200,000 Filipinos reside in Taiwan.
The US and Philippines have already scaled up military exercises, including on an island near Taiwan, with future drills expected to train in “advanced ways of repelling aggression” across air, maritime and cyberdefense.
Asked about China’s position that US weapons deployments in the Philippines threaten stability, Teodoro said: “They are the only one saying this, and why they are saying this, probably it is a hindrance to whatever nefarious plans they have.”
Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠), who attended the Shangri-La Dialogue, said the Philippines and Japan recognize that any contingency in or around the Taiwan Strait would have direct implications for their own security and regional stability, making the importance of peace across the Strait beyond dispute.
Taiwan and the Philippines already have exchanges in certain areas, and the depth and scope of future cooperation would be worth watching, he said in an interview with the Central News Agency.
Such cooperation is not directed at any third party, but aims to bolster mutual security and resilience while helping to safeguard regional stability, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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