Philippine military told to prepare for Taiwan invasion as China holds drills

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

MILITARY FORCES in northern Philippines should start “planning for action” in the event of an invasion of neighboring Taiwan, its military chief said on Tuesday, as China started joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan as a “stern warning” against separatism.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is expanding its strategic plan to include Taipei in anticipation of a potential invasion that could inadvertently involve the Philippines, AFP Chief of Staff Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. said at the anniversary of the military’s Northern Luzon Command.

“Do not be content with securing just the northern hemisphere up to Mavulis island,” he said at Camp Aquino in Tarlac province north of Manila, referring to the Philippines’ northernmost island that lies 140 kilometers southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan.

“Start planning for actions in case there is an invasion of Taiwan. We will extend our sphere of operations,” he added in Filipino.

Taiwan sent warships to respond to China’s navy approaching its coast, Reuters reported.

The exercises around the democratically governed island, which China views as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring under its control, come after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called Beijing a “foreign hostile force” last month.

Mr. Brawner’s remarks came days after the visit of US Defense Secretary Peter Brian Hegseth to Manila, where he reiterated Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to its oldest treaty ally in Asia.

In his first trip to Manila, Mr. Hegseth vowed to reestablish deterrence to counter China’s aggression in the South China Sea by deploying weapons with advanced capabilities to the Philippines, including an anti-ship missile system and unmanned sea vessels.

Philippine and US special forces will conduct drills in northern Batanes province, near Taiwan.

China lays claim over Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province. It has threatened to annex the self-ruled island, by force if necessary, endangering Taiwan’s population of 23 million and threatening the world’s most advanced semiconductor factories.

While the US has vowed to protect Taiwan, Washington has adopted a policy of “strategic ambiguity” whether to militarily step in if China launches an invasion.

Mr. Brawner said it would be the job of the AFP’s Northern Luzon Command to rescue Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan should Beijing attack. “There are 250,000 overseas Filipino workers working in Taiwan and we will have to rescue them.”

The military chief said certain areas in the Philippines are considered potential invasion points, underscoring the need to prepare for war. “I do not want to sound alarmist, but we have to prepare.”

“We achieve peace through strength, and we achieve strength by preparing for war,” he added.

He also accused Beijing of actively forging alliances and seeking to exert influence within Philippine society.

“We are aware of this, and it is not mere speculation,” Mr. Brawner said. “They’re already infiltrating our institutions, our schools, our businesses, our churches, even our ranks in the military.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

Philippine authorities earlier this year arrested a number of Chinese nationals accused of spying on joint Philippine-US military sites, the presidential palace and the national headquarters of the country’s military and police.

Seized from them were advanced spying tools, including drones, devices that can intercept mobile signals and equipment to create 3D images of structures.

Meanwhile, political and security analysts said the Philippines should expand its defense and security ties with allies closer to home and avoid overreliance on the US amid uncertainties with President Donald J. Trump’s foreign policy.

“US Defense Secretary Peter Brian Hegseth doesn’t inspire confidence back home due to his lack of background in this sector, in contrast to Biden’s Lloyd Austin,” Hansley A. Juliano, who teaches political science at the Ateneo de Manila University, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“The Philippines will be more prudent to ultimately build our alternative network of allies close to home.”

The US Defense chief met with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo C. Teodoro, Jr. and Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on March 28 to discuss continued cooperation on keeping the peace in the Indo-Pacific region and South China Sea.

“While the Philippines endorses reliance on military material with the US, it has to start exploring multi-alignment of defense diplomacy with reliable like-minded nations and lay down the foundations of a revitalized self-reliant defense posture,” Chester B. Cabalza, founding president at Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“Communist China feels the pressure of strategic competition with its rival in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen military ties and deterrence cooperation.” — with John Victor D. Ordoñez