TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan plans to open a second representative office in the Philippines amid deepening bilateral ties, Nikkei Asia reported.
Nikkei Asia cited three Asian and Western officials as saying the office would be located in Cebu Province. Taiwan already has a Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila, which opened in 1975.
The move comes as China has increased military and political pressure on both countries. A Western diplomat familiar with the discussions said the new mission would effectively replace Taiwan’s office in Papua New Guinea, which the country ordered closed in July.
Andrew Yeh, senior director at the China Strategic Risks Institute, said, “Opening an office in Cebu expands Taiwan's footprint beyond Manila into the Philippines' primary maritime and logistics hub, right in the heart of the archipelago,” per Nikkei Asia.
He added that “establishing a direct presence there allows Taipei to better navigate emerging trade, shipping, and security dynamics while strengthening first-island-chain deterrence.”
“Deepening relations with the Philippines — a close neighbor and important US treaty ally — is particularly important,” Yeh said. “It not only opens the door for strengthened economic and security cooperation, but also sends an important message to Beijing, that Taiwan doesn't stand alone.”
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) visited the Southeast Asian country in August to boost trade and investment ties.
Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, an analyst at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies in Brussels, said Taiwan’s economic diplomacy was gaining support in parts of Southeast Asia as more countries grew frustrated with China’s aggressive approach.
“With Lin's emphasis on commerce and investments as a core part of Taiwan's diplomacy beyond promoting values, the Philippines and other countries are finding greater incentives to engage economically with Taipei, even as they remain cautious about the broader geopolitical implications,” Ferenczy told Nikkei Asia.
A new office could increase tourism and deepen investment and business ties, she said. “It is more than a symbolic win.”
