TAIPEI, Taiwan — A conflict between China and Taiwan could put about 178,000 Filipino migrant workers on the island at risk, Taiwan’s foreign minister acknowledged, underscoring the growing stakes of a Taiwan Strait crisis for the Philippines.

Taiwan data showed 178,453 Filipino migrant workers on the island as of the end of March.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung told the DAILY TRIBUNE that Filipinos have made significant contributions to Taiwan’s economy but acknowledged that a Chinese invasion would affect the large Filipino community.

“And if China invades Taiwan, of course, it will have some impact on so many Filipinos here in Taiwan,” Lin said.

The warning comes as Philippine officials have increasingly emphasized that a Taiwan Strait conflict would have direct consequences for the Philippines because of its geographic proximity to the island, the presence of Filipinos in Taiwan and the strategic importance of the Bashi Channel.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said in July that the Philippines could not remain neutral in a conflict between China and Taiwan, citing the need to evacuate Filipinos from Taiwan and the potential impact on northern Philippine territory and the Bashi Channel.A Taiwan Strait conflict could put 178,453 Filipino migrant workers at risk, raising urgent concerns for Manila over evacuation, security and regional stability.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also said the Philippines would inevitably be affected by a Taiwan conflict because of its proximity to Taiwan and the large Filipino community living and working there.

The developments underscore why a Taiwan Strait crisis is a direct Philippine concern — not only because of Manila’s proximity to Taiwan, but because of the Filipinos whose lives, livelihoods and safety could be affected.

One theater

Lin placed the Philippines within what Taipei sees as an increasingly interconnected Indo-Pacific security environment involving Taiwan, Japan and the United States.

“The United States, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines now share one concept that we are in one theater in the Indo-Pacific region,” Lin said in a briefing with visiting journalists in Taipei on 19 August.

He said China’s growing military reach meant security issues could no longer be viewed separately through the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea and East China Sea.

“All of these countries need to cooperate. Otherwise, [they] will be defeated one by one,” Lin said.

The remarks come as Taiwan strengthens its military capabilities amid growing pressure from Beijing.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has proposed a record 2027 defense budget of NT$1.1225 trillion, which would push defense spending above 3 percent of gross domestic product. Lai described the increase as an investment in peace and Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities.

Taiwan has also completed its annual Han Kuang military exercises, which included scenarios involving a possible Chinese blockade and greater civilian preparedness.

China has condemned Taiwan’s military preparations while continuing to claim sovereignty over the island and maintaining that it will not renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

Manila walks tightrope

For Manila, the security challenge is complicated by its longstanding One China policy.

The Philippines recognizes the government of the People’s Republic of China and does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state.

At the same time, Manila maintains extensive economic and people-to-people relations with Taipei, including through the large Filipino community on the island.

Marcos has repeatedly said the Philippines will continue adhering to the One China policy and will not interfere in cross-Strait affairs.

The President has also ruled out allowing Philippine territory to be used to launch attacks against another country in the event of a Taiwan conflict.

The Philippine position leaves Manila balancing the protection of its citizens with its commitment to avoid being drawn directly into a conflict between Beijing and Taipei.

For Taiwan, however, the Filipino community is also part of a broader push to deepen ties with Manila.

Lin said Taiwan has established a center in Manila to allow Taiwanese businesses to directly hire Filipino workers as Taipei seeks to strengthen the flow of people, goods, transportation and capital between the two economies. Taiwan announced plans for the recruitment center late last year, with MECO welcoming the initiative.

“That’s why I proposed to build a so-called Taiwan-Philippine Economic Corridor to increase the integration of these various flows,” Lin said.

“And also, in the future, we hope to create a Taiwan-Philippine Common Market.”

Maintain status quo

Despite the growing military pressure, Lin said Taipei’s objective remains to prevent war and preserve Taiwan’s current way of life.

“Taiwan tries very hard to maintain the status quo. It is China that tries to alter the status quo,” Lin said.

He said Taiwan would continue working to prevent Beijing from using any pretext for military action and to preserve the island’s current way of life.

“What Taiwan is trying to do is to protect the current way of life and not [be] ruled by the CCP regime,” Lin said. “This is the strongest consensus that the people of Taiwan have right now.”

Lin said Taiwan was therefore doing its best to protect and maintain the status quo.

He also described a Taiwan crisis as an emergency for the wider world because of the island’s importance to global semiconductor supply chains and international shipping.

“A Taiwan emergency would be an emergency for the world,” he said.

For the Philippines, however, the stakes are more immediate.

A Taiwan Strait conflict could quickly become a crisis involving the 178,453 Filipino migrant workers on the island, putting their safety, livelihoods, and possible evacuation at the center of Manila’s concerns.