Marcos, Harris tackle Taiwan
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will continue discussing “the Taiwan” issue and other security concerns with United States Vice President Kamala Harris when they meet today, November 21, in Malacañang.
The Chief Executive will welcome the second highest elected US official and her entourage at the Palace in her first ever visit to the Philippines.
“I have always said that the relationship between the United States and the Philippines must continue to evolve, and it will be that,” he said in a media roundtable after wrapping up his participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand over the weekend.
One issue both leaders are expected to tackle is the “Taiwan situation” as well as other security issues in the Asia-Pacific region which Marcos says merits a “joint response.”
“When it comes to security and defense in the Asia-Pacific, it really has to be a joint response. I don’t think any single country should go about it alone. I think we will do much better if we respond as a group, and I think the other countries agree,” the President said.
Tension is brewing between the US and China over the latter’s insistence to put the self-governed island of Taiwan under its control. Beijing has been accusing Washington of meddling with its affairs and encouraging Taiwan to assert independence.
This further escalated after House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last August which was viewed as a “provocation” by the Chinese government.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said Harris might put Marcos up to speed about the meeting that transpired between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Indonesia.
Romualdez warned that any violent confrontation in the Taiwan Strait will affect the whole Southeast Asian region, with the Philippines being “part of this whole equation” it being a military ally of the United States.
Marcos in the past had called for all parties “to exercise maximum restraint” and said that “dialogue and diplomacy must prevail” to arrive at a peaceful resolution to the issue.
The President in the last Asean Summit affirmed that the Philippine government recognizes the One China policy but that China and Taiwan must “resolve those issues peacefully” to avert a violent confrontation.
On Tuesday, Harris will visit Palawan for a briefing on the current situation in the contested West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). She is the highest US government official to set foot there.
The US government has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to defend the Philippines should an altercation in the disputed territory ensue, as mandated by both countries’ long-standing Mutual Defense Treaty.
Ambassador MaryKay Carlson last month said the US will stand with the Philippines should it “consult, assist, deter, and respond to any threats and provocations.”
The envoy also gave assurances that the American government is always ready to aid the Philippines in times of conflict, “specifically matters concerning “Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction.”
“In the South China Sea, as allies, we stand together to oppose attempts by those who seek to advance unlawful maritime claims in the Philippine exclusive economic zone or on its continental shelf,” she said.