President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the country wants to avoid being drawn into any conflict over Taiwan.
He acknowledged that the Philippines would inevitably feel the effects of any confrontation because of its geographic proximity and the large number of Filipinos living and working on the island.
“We certainly do not want to be part of any conflict,” Mr. Marcos said during a roundtable interview with Japanese media at Malacañang.
The chief executive emphasized that the Philippines’ concerns are driven not by politics but by geography and the potential humanitarian impact of a conflict.
“Just looking at the map, you can tell that the northern Philippines at the very least is going to be part of that or will feel the effects,” Marcos said.
He added that northern Luzon and possibly the rest of island would be affected by any military confrontation near Taiwan.
He pointed to the estimated 200,000 Filipinos living and working in Taiwan as another major consideration for Manila in the event of a crisis.
“The Philippines has, from the very start, always held a one-China policy. We have always held a one-China policy, and we will continue to do that,” Marcos said.
He added that Manila supports the peaceful resolution of tensions involving Taiwan and continues to engage regional stakeholders, including China, to reduce the risk of conflict.
Meanwhile, the President expressed optimism about the recent meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He said continued dialogue between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies is critical to global peace, economic stability, and cooperation.
“Well, I think it’s of importance to everyone… When two of the largest, the two leaders of the largest economies in the world are meeting to discuss some of the issues that we are facing now,” Marcos said.
“We have yet to see what actually were the results of that meeting… So, it’s hard to say what the effects of that meeting will be,” he added.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Originally posted with the headline “Marcos says avoiding conflict over Taiwan remains PH top goal.”
