A Taiwanese delegation attended a conference in the Philippines on concerns over the South China Sea. It signals closer cooperation between the two countries despite pressure from China. TaiwanPlus spoke to Renato Cruz de Castro of Manila's De La Salle University to learn more.
00:00Last week, Manila hosted the South China Sea Dialogue. In a first, there were Taiwanese participants present at the summit. What do you think this says about growing cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines?
00:11We have to cooperate primarily because we are confronted with a common security challenge. In the case of the Philippines, we have issue with China over the South China Sea.
00:22And more importantly, of course, on the part of the Philippines, it's also recognition that we also have to protect the Luzon Strait, where, of course, the Luzon Strait links Taiwan and the Philippines.
00:37And there's a growing recognition here in the Philippines that, of course, if China would be able to achieve its goal of a forceful unification with Taiwan, that will have an impact on the Philippines.
00:49Going back in the last few months or in the last year, what are some other examples of concrete cooperation between both sides?
00:55Well, what has been constant, of course, is the cooperation between the Philippine Coast Guard and, of course, the Republic of China Coast Guard.
01:04Probably there are other cooperation happening, but I'm not privy whether there's cooperation, of course, between the armed force of the Philippines and the Republic of China armed force.
01:13Unfortunately, on the part of the Philippine government, especially in the past, they have basically accepted what China has basically laid on the table, the option of a one-China principle rather than a one-China policy.
01:27The key challenge there is how to effect a security cooperation that will circumvent, of course, or on the part of the Philippines to recognize the fact that it's not actually implementing a one-China policy, rather it's pursuing a one-China principle.
01:43So the burden is actually on the part of the Philippine government, a recognition to understand that there's a nuance between a one-China principle and a one-China policy.
01:56That is the responsibility on the side of the Philippines.
02:00How does cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines fit into broader regional dynamics, either involving Japan, the U.S., or other concerns about China's actions in the South China Sea or regionally?
02:09But I think there's also a recognition of the fact that there is what they call the notion, this emerged from the Japanese, the notion of a one-China effort, that Japan and the Philippines face a common security challenge in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
02:31So both sides would need to cooperate.
02:34And, of course, between Japan and the Philippines is, of course, Taiwan.
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