The Philippine’s Defense Chief shared on Thursday, 20 July 2023, that China’s threat to invade Taiwan has been closely monitored by his team on a daily basis.
“We really have to make an assessment whether such is likely or not,” Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro told reporters.
“Nonetheless, we continue to plan on all contingencies, not merely any flashpoint between China and Taiwan, but any contingency within the theater,” he added.
According to Reuters, the first priority under the Philippine’s concerns is the safety of the more than 100,000 of its nationals living and working in Taiwan.
Additionally, Teodoro expressed his hope that throughout this year so far, the efforts made between the United States and China in strengthening their bilateral relations as well as managing their differences would “lead to the diffusion of tensions in that theater.”
