During a recent visit to India, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made waves by saying the Philippines “could not stay out” of any U.S.–China clash across the Taiwan Strait. “If there is an all-out war… we will be drawn into it,” he warned, adding that Manila would mobilize everything needed to evacuate Philippine nationals in the Taiwan region.
The Chinese foreign ministry promptly reminded Marcos and the world that Taiwan region affairs are “an internal matter” of the Chinese mainland. Such remarks, it argued, risk destabilizing regional peace and undermine long-standing cross-strait ties.
This sharp exchange is notable given the Philippines’ official one-China principle, which regards Taiwan region as part of Chinese territory. Experts say Marcos may be testing waters, seeking to balance Beijing’s regional clout with deeper engagement in Washington.
Yet his U.S. visit yielded modest results: a U.S. decision to cut tariffs on Philippine exports from 20% to 19% and a conditional deal for zero duties on American cars, provided Manila further opens its markets. That comes after Manila green-lit four new U.S. military facilities, agreed to U.S. missile system deployments, expanded joint exercises and even built a U.S. ammunition factory in Subic Bay.
For global entrepreneurs and investors, the trade-off seems steep: years of strategic cooperation in defense and security netted only a one-percent tariff reduction. The episode underscores a key lesson for business and tech communities: high-stakes diplomacy doesn’t always deliver proportional economic returns.
As young global citizens and thought leaders gauge the fallout, one question looms: will the Philippines double down on a balancing act between the Chinese mainland and the U.S., or carve an independent path that safeguards both regional stability and national interests?
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Marcos' comments on China's Taiwan region get him nowhere with Trump
cgtn.com
