Taiwan should boost its relationship with Manila by leveraging its links to Japan and the US, a foreign policy expert said on Thursday, shortly after Ferdinand Marcos Jr was sworn in as president of the Philippines.
Marcos is expected to follow former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s Taiwan policy, which focused on issues concerning trade and Philippine workers in Taiwan, National Chengchi University professor of international affairs Chen Wen-chia (陳文甲) said.
The new administration’s appointment of former Philippine minister of labor and employment Silvestre Bello as head of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan suggests that those priorities would be top of the agenda, Chen said.
Photo: AP
Marcos appears to be reluctant to incur China’s ire, as Taiwanese officials were not invited to his inauguration, Chen said, adding that Taipei’s opportunities to boost ties with the Philippines would be limited.
However, there might be chances to improve economic links, as Marcos needs to revive the Philippine economy and could not afford to pass on Taiwanese investment, Chen added.
The Philippines has consistently demonstrated willingness to do business with Taiwan, he said, adding that the two sides in 2017 inked an investment agreement.
That Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan (王岐山) and US Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, attended Marcos’ swearing-in is a manifestation of the competition between Washington and Beijing for influence in the Philippines, Chen said.
The US is seeking to contain the threat of China’s hegemonic expansion via diplomatic, military and economic means in accordance with the Indo-Pacific Strategy, to which the Philippines is crucial, he said.
The US continues to deploy military forces at bases throughout the Philippines and is seeking to bolster its relationship with the Philippine Coast Guard to counter Beijing, he said, adding that the coast guard arrangements are being facilitated by Japan.
The Philippines has geopolitical advantages that it uses deftly to emphasize its independence among rival blocks, enabling Manila to separate trade policies from geopolitical directives, Chen said.
As Manila’s successful bid to join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework showed, the Philippines does not allow its trade ties with China to interfere with its national security policy of aligning with the US, Chen added.
Therefore, Taiwan should leverage its ties with Tokyo and Washington to improve its relationship with the Philippines, he said.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS