Why Manila must deepen ties with Taipei

As a Hong Konger who has called Taiwan home for four decades and whose deceased father worked in the Philippines also for four decades, I have witnessed the slow, agonizing strangulation of my birth city by the Chinese Communist Party. Today, China’s military modernization directly threatens Philippine sovereignty. Watching the Bashi Channel today feels like a grim encore of Hong Kong’s fall. In February 2026, Chinese J-15 fighters armed with hypersonic YJ-15 missiles—capable of striking Philippine territory from 1,800 kilometers away—stalked allied exercises. Meanwhile, China’s “dark fleet” of 1,400 militia vessels haunts the Bashi Channel, located between Taiwan and Batanes, with silenced transponders, tightening a maritime noose around Filipino livelihoods.

As Manila confronts this layered threat—fusing advanced weaponry with gray zone coercion—Taiwan offers a unique partnership leveraging cutting-edge technology, shared democratic values, and mutual security interests. The question is not whether to deepen this relationship, but whether Manila can afford not to.

Taiwan’s semiconductor investments are transforming the Philippine economy. Taiwanese semiconductor giant ASE Co. Ltd. Technology’s expansion in Cavite and Clark positions the Philippines as the critical “testing and packaging hub” for advanced chips—making Philippine territory essential to global technology security. Taiwan’s commitment to train 100,000 overseas artificial intelligence engineers by 2028 prioritizes Filipino talent, with partnerships like the University of the Philippines Open University and the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology already producing thousands of skilled professionals. With 170,000 Filipinos in Taiwan sending $1 billion home annually, the Philippine economy goes dark if Taiwan’s lights go out.

Beyond semiconductors, Taiwan is funding the infrastructure of Philippine resilience. The Taiwan-Philippines Economic Corridor (TPEC) integrates Philippine logistics networks, while Taiwanese energy firms have invested in renewable “islanding” projects—ensuring the Philippine grid keeps breathing even during a blockade. Taiwan’s subsea cable tech and satellite terminals protect Manila’s digital jugular. This is not just trade; it is infrastructure-as-defense.

Taiwan’s endorsement of the 2026 Pax Silica Declaration explicitly named the Philippines as a priority for trilateral cooperation. Shared Maritime Domain Awareness now links Taiwan’s southern radars to Northern Luzon, creating 24/7 tracking of Chinese maneuvers in the Bashi Channel.

While these existing frameworks provide a vital foundation, the escalating threat in the Bashi Channel demands a more ambitious transition from coordination to concrete infrastructure. To truly secure the northern frontier, Manila should pursue the following strategic shifts:

First, Manila and Taipei should prioritize the cofunding of dual-use upgrades at the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites in Northern Luzon (Lal-lo Airport and Port of Irene), framed as TPEC hubs. These “dual-use” facilities would serve semiconductor shipments while providing the runways and storage capacity that Japan Self-Defense Forces need under the Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), and create evacuation processing centers for 200,000 Filipino workers during any Taiwan crisis—creating the “humanitarian shield” that justifies allied intervention under the United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and the RAA.

Secondly, the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology should move to establish a Joint Philippine-Taiwan Cybersecurity and Data Sovereign Hub in Batangas. While this facility provides essential failover capacity for regional partners, its primary mission would be to anchor the Philippines’ national digital defense. By integrating these high-tech capabilities, Manila can better protect its own critical infrastructure—from power grids to banking—ensuring the nation remains digitally resilient while transforming the Philippines into a regional bastion for data security.

Finally, it is imperative for Manila to fast-track a defense industrial partnership with Taipei to bolster Philippine Self-Reliant Defense Posture. By coproducing unmanned aerial systems and maritime surveillance craft under license, Philippine manufacturers can move beyond mere procurement and toward genuine technological independence. Furthermore, establishing a joint ship repair facility in Subic Bay—leveraging Taiwan’s global shipbuilding expertise—would ensure that Philippine and allied vessels remain mission-ready without relying on distant shipyards.

The geographic reality is inescapable: the Philippines and Taiwan share not just the Bashi Channel, but a common destiny against authoritarian coercion. Deeper partnership offers economic prosperity, advanced technology, and strategic deterrence—not subordination, but sovereignty through strength. As China’s shadow lengthens across the West Philippine Sea, the Taiwan partnership is not just opportunity—it is necessity.

—————–

Regan Chong is a Hong Konger advocating for Hong Kong’s independence from China and a contact person for the Hong Konger Front.