Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 20) — The Philippines continues to keep a close eye on tense China-Taiwan relations and is preparing for the possibility of Beijing invading Taipei, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said on Thursday.
“That is a thing that we continue to monitor daily,” he told reporters, noting there’s still a need to assess if an invasion is likely.
While the defense chief said he is not at liberty to go into detail, he assured that the Marcos administration continues “to plan on all contingencies, not merely any flashpoint between China and Taiwan, but any contingency within the theater.”
Should China attack Taiwan, the Department of Defense earlier said that the government will prioritize the safety of Filipino workers in the self-governed island, particularly by bringing them home.
Around 150,000 Filipinos work and live in Taiwan, which Beijing describes as a renegade province.
In an earlier interview with CNN, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said China appears to be “trying to get ready to launch a war” amid its military exercises around the island.
Some observers have warned that the Philippines – as a defense ally of the United States which vowed to help defend Taiwan – may be caught in the crossfire and become China’s military target in case an armed conflict does break out.
Such concerns have grown especially in light of the Marcos administration’s move to grant the US wider access to military bases.
READ: China tells PH to oppose ‘Taiwan independence,’ warns anew vs. EDCA sites
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the additional sites which could temporarily host US military logistics and personnel would not be used to stage any offensive operations.
Meanwhile, Teodoro also said the government is hopeful that engagements between Beijing and Washington would help defuse tensions in Taiwan.
