The World’s Taiwan Strategy Runs Through the Philippines

By: Michael Mazza | The Diplomat |

The United States is alone in the world in maintaining an unofficial but truly deep relationship with Taiwan. Yet across the Indo-Pacific region and as far afield as Europe, concerns about China’s designs on Taiwan are widespread. While concerned countries do maintain some level of engagement with Taiwan, many seem to have embraced an indirect approach to deterring Beijing. The Philippines is emerging as the center of gravity for these efforts.

In August, Australia and the Philippines publicized plans to finalize a new defense agreement in 2026. The agreement is expected to institutionalize regular bilateral defense ministers’ meetings, enable a larger slate of combined military exercises, and facilitate Australian investments in Philippine defense infrastructure development. This new agreement will build on a track record of deepening security ties, including an earlier Status of Visiting Forces Agreement.

Read the full article on The Diplomat.