MANILA, Philippines — The escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait will be an “unavoidable” topic at the 42nd Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said.
Marcos said that discussion on the matter is “inevitable” because ASEAN member-states are concerned about it.
“Of course, it is a grave concern to all member-states of ASEAN,” Marcos said in a briefing Tuesday evening.
“So it's considering that we also agree on the concept of ASEAN centrality when it comes to regional concerns that will be one of the most important subjects that we'll bring up," he added.
The president also said ASEAN member-states may need to “calibrate” their plans as a lot has changed since the last meeting of Southeast Asian nations.
In a joint statement with US President Joe Biden during his trip to Washington last week, Marcos affirmed that the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait “as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.”
Democratic Taiwan lives under constant threat of an attack by China, which views the island as part of its territory.