BANGKOK, August 15. /TASS/. The Philippines will build up its potential to address external threats and strengthen relations with allied states amid the risks stemming from the aggravation of the situation in the Taiwan Strait, according to the National Security Policy document, which was released by the National Security Council on Tuesday.
"Any military conflict in the Taiwan Strait would inevitably affect the Philippines given the geographic proximity of Taiwan to the Philippine archipelago and the presence of over 150,000 Filipinos in Taiwan," the document says. It also noted that Manila is seriously concerned by relations between Beijing and Taipei, since the political confrontation between them is potentially fraught with a military conflict.
The document also points to the strategic rivalry between the United States and China as a factor adding to the tensions in the region. Special attention is focused on food and energy security priorities, noting that the South China Sea "remains a primary national interest".
Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949 when the Kuomintang’s remaining forces headed by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) were defeated in the Chinese Civil War and took refuge on the island. Taiwan has preserved the flag and several other symbols of the Republic of China that had existed before the Communists took over the mainland. According to China’s official position supported by most countries, including Russia, the Island of Taiwan is one of China’s provinces.