Bridge over troubled water

Wallace Minn-Gan Chow, Taiwan’s top envoy in the Philippines, stood Thursday before a room of diplomats and business types saying what everyone already knew but no one ever says out loud: Taiwan and the Philippines are getting close. Maybe too close for China’s comfort.

Since 1 July, Filipinos and Taiwanese have been waving each other through immigration lines with a 14-day visa-free nod.

It’s the kind of small policy shift that lands quietly but moves big things. For eight years, Taiwan had offered the same privilege to Filipinos, waiting for Manila to return the gesture. 

Chow marked Taiwan’s 114th National Day, and the celebration sounded more like an affirmation of being seen.

The numbers, Chow threw them like darts. Taiwan: sixth in global competitiveness, said the Swiss think tank IMD. Ninety-five out of 100 in Freedom House’s democracy index. Fourth worldwide in economic freedom, according to the Heritage Foundation.

Not bragging, exactly, more like “Taiwan exists”, that it works, that it still counts.

In August, over 70 Taiwanese executives descended on Manila (semiconductors, AI, agriculture, logistics, tourism) testing what they’re calling the “Taiwan-Philippines Economic Corridor.”

Taiwan brings tech; the Philippines brings labor. Together they promise “secure supply chains,” diplomat code for not China.

That’s the subtext humming in the small talk. Beijing still insists it owns Taiwan’s story. Taipei keeps rewriting it in English, trade and trust.

A survey by Social Weather Stations last month found 42 percent of Filipinos now say they “much trust” Taiwan, a record high, behind only the US, Japan and Australia.