TAIPIEI, Taiwan – The Philippines have raised a policy of several decades which narrowly restricts the official engagement with Taiwan in a decision that an expert indicates that the recalibration of its Chinese policy had tensions simmer.
Under the new policy, presented on April 15, representatives of the Philippine Government – with the exception of the President, Vice -President, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of Defense – can now visit Taiwan for economic, commercial or investment activities, provided they travel on regular passports and do not use their official titles.
Previously, Filipino officials were prohibited from visiting Taiwan or meeting Taiwanese officials without previous government approval.
The amendment is “to maximize the development and expansion opportunities for priority investment areas of the Philippines,” said the official Gazette managed by the state in a memorandum published on Monday.
In response, the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the democratic island is the ninth trading partner of the Philippines and praised the decision to “strengthen the relations of Taiwan-Philippines” and to “advance substantial cooperation”.
China has not commented.
J. Michael Cole, a principal researcher based in Taipei to the Global Taiwan Institute, believes that Manila’s decision reflects his awareness that the Philippines and Taiwan, as neighbors confronted with similar security challenges, are to be won of closer collaboration.
“The growing links between Taiwan and the Philippines are indeed linked to the deterioration of the safety environment at the Southern China Sea and the Beijing towards Manila,” said Cole.
In recent years, tensions between China and the Philippines have increased due to repeated confrontations at the Southern China Sea in the regions claimed by China which are in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
A recent case has been an update from Google Maps, labeling the waters to the west of the Philippines as “Western Sea of the Philippines” – a decision which has rekindled a debate on a long -standing territorial dispute. While the Philippines use this name to assert its sovereignty, China continues to claim the region as part of the Southern China Sea.
In February, the Chinese army carried out a new exercise in combat preparation near a disputed area with the Philippines in the South China Sea. The exercise added to an increasing series of maneuvers that Beijing carried out in the region.
The Philippines also allegedly alleged that the recent detention by China of three Philippin citizens on charges of spying could be reprisals for the recent repression of Manila of alleged Chinese spies.
“Taiwan and the Philippines face an increasingly complex” gray zone “environment and to benefit from the exchange of notes on the issue and collaboration where collaboration is possible,” said Cole, referring to secret, ambiguous and low level tactics aimed at achieving strategic objectives without triggering conflicts on a complete scale.
The Philippines and Taiwan have maintained unofficial relations since 1975, when Manila officially recognized the People’s Republic of China as part of Chinese politics.
Despite the absence of official diplomatic links, the two parties engage representative offices, which operate as de facto embassies.
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippines first pointed out a subtle change in his approach to Taiwan. In January 2024, Marcos publicly congratulated Lai Ching -Te when he was elected president of the island, expressing a closer desire for collaboration – a decision that sparked Beijing criticism.
The Filipino move also came while Manila seeks to deepen the defense ties with the United States.
According to a recent Naval News report, US forces are planning to deploy anti -ship missiles in the Strait of Luzon – a strategic navigable path between Taiwan and in the North of the Philippines – during the “Balikatan” military exercise this year. China condemned exercises as a “disruption of regional stability”.
During his first official visit to Manila in March, the Secretary of the United States of Defense, Pete Hegseth, confirmed that Washington would send advanced military equipment to the Philippines to strengthen deterrence in the region, signaling a new strengthening of American-Philippine security cooperation.
Edited by Tajun Kang and Stephen Wright.