Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says that the Philippines would inevitably be affected if a conflict were to break out between China and Taiwan. That came during a press conference on Monday, May 18, ahead of his state visit to Japan.

Marcos said because Taiwan is geographically close to the Philippines and around 200,000 Filipinos work and live there, his country would have no choice but to be drawn into the conflicts should hostilities erupt. He added, however, that the Philippines hopes to avoid any hostile actions and supports a peaceful resolution of disputes.

Marcos noted that Japan participated in the Balikatan joint military exercise in the Philippines for the first time this year. He said security cooperation will be a key focus of his visit to Japan.