Taiwan open to drone cooperation with PHL amid regional tensions

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

TAIWAN sees a “big opportunity” to work with the Philippines on developing drone technologies, a Taiwanese foreign affairs official said, citing its wide military and civilian application as the two nations confront lingering regional tensions.

There is a possibility that Taipei could explore drone industry collaboration with Manila, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General for International Cooperation and Economic Affairs Yu-Ping Lien said, without sharing more details.

“There is a big opportunity for both sides to cooperate… in the drone industry not only for security reasons, but also for commercial use,” she told BusinessWorld in an interview on the sidelines of a port development forum in early December.

Taiwan is seeking to forge deeper ties with the Philippines amid mounting tensions with China, as Taipei pushes for an economic corridor with Manila focused on port development and industry collaboration tied to regional security concerns.

Ms. Lien said Taiwan may opt to hold drone tests in the Philippines due to tight regulations and a lack of space for testing domestically, citing it as a possible first avenue for industry cooperation.

“Because we face regulations and the threat from the Chinese, we don’t have enough space for test runs,” she said. “Maybe we can find more space, even the land or airspace for drone testing.”

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

Beijing, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has not ruled out taking the island by force, putting its 23 million people and the world’s most advanced semiconductor factories at risk. Chinese forces have repeatedly staged drills around the self-ruled island, putting Taiwan’s armed forces on alert.

Taipei has increasingly turned to sea drones to bolster its defenses, Reuters reported in June, as it works to reshape its forces for “asymmetric warfare” with mobile, smaller, and cheaper weapons designed to deliver strikes.

Manila has pursued a similar initiative, as it seeks to expand the use of unmanned systems and drones in its armed forces, a senior Defense department official said in October, as tensions with China persist in the South China Sea.

Remotely piloted drones have become a backbone in modern warfare due to their long-range reach and lower cost compared with other advanced weaponry, like missiles and fighter jets. Drones have also seen heavy combat use since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“The ‘drone diplomacy’ between Manila and Taipei is a matter of co-existence in the drone ecosystem as part of the First Island Chain,” said Chester B. Cabalza, founding president of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, referring to the string of nations stretching from Japan in the north through Taiwan and the Philippines to Indonesia in the south.

The Philippines should pursue a drone manufacturing partnership with Taiwan to ease supply chain vulnerabilities in building unmanned systems, said Raymond M. Powell, director of maritime transparency group SeaLight.

“Most affordable components currently come from China… Taiwan offers a secure, friendly alternative source for these critical components,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

Mr. Cabalza said building a “united, non-red supply chain” for drones manufacturing could bolster both the nations’ ability to secure their territories from invasion.

The Philippines is at odds with China as it lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea based on a “nine-dash line” map, a claim voided by a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016.

“Drones enhance deterrence by creating an asymmetric cost trap for a potential aggressor,” said Mr. Powell, noting that a swarm of “low-cost, expendable munitions” could threaten adversaries’ expensive weapon systems and force them to think twice before taking aggressive actions.

Drones also act as a force multiplier for the Philippines, which still lacks warships able to effectively patrol its waters amid lingering Chinese presence, said Mr. Cabalza.

The Philippines has launched a sweeping $35-billion (P2-trillion) modernization program aimed at bolstering its military assets over the next decade, including the acquisition of advanced naval vessels, planes and missile systems, as it pushes back against China’s military might in the region.