President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. voiced concern that the Philippines may inevitably be involved if tensions over Taiwan escalate into a contingency.
“In Japan’s case, it’s more about a choice to be involved if a contingency occurs over Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with media organizations including Jiji Press on Monday.
“In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to us, and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working there.”
Marcos emphasized that the Philippines is urging Taiwan to pursue a peaceful resolution to the cross‑strait issue, while reiterating that the country continues to uphold its one‑China policy and will not intervene directly in the matter.
The president’s remarks came ahead of his scheduled state visit to Japan from May 26 to 29, where he will meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Emperor Naruhito, and Empress Masako. (Jiji Express)
