My Take | Taipei’s offer to help Philippines against Beijing is more like a trap
US and Taiwan are goading Manila to escalate its dispute with mainland China over the Spratly Islands into a potentially disastrous regional conflagration
As surely as night follows day, Taipei now wants to join forces with the Philippines and the United States against Beijing in the South China Sea.
In an official statement, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the island “is willing to cooperate with any other nation with shared values in areas of common concern, including maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region”.
One thing you can say about Taiwan leader William Lai Ching-te is that he does know how to stir the pot.
The statement was made in response to a local press inquiry about Taiwan’s position on recent clashes between Philippine naval ships and opposing vessels from mainland China, so it was obvious that the ministry was referring to the Philippines with its statement of support.
MOFA denounced Beijing’s actions as “illegal, threatening, coercive and other non-peaceful means to interfere with the navigation of other countries’ vessels”.
“[Mainland China] poses a significant threat to the security of Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region,” it said, adding, “Taiwan will continue to cooperate with the US, Japan and other like-minded nations to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
