Philippines' Marcos says China ‘misinterpreted' his comments on Taiwan
Mr Ferdinand Marcos Jr said Filipinos working and living in Taiwan will have to be evacuated if a conflict does arise.
MANILA - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Aug 11 that Beijing has "misinterpreted" his comments, saying Manila will be inevitably drawn in to a conflict between China and Taiwan should one erupt.
China accused
Mr Marcos of "playing with fire" after the Philippine leader said during a visit to India that "there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it" due to its proximity to the democratically governed island.
"We are, I think for propaganda purposes, misinterpreted," Mr Marcos told a press briefing.
"I'm a little bit perplexed why it would be characterised as such, as playing with fire," he added.
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr Marcos said Filipinos working and living in Taiwan will have to be evacuated if a conflict does arise but maintained that he wishes to avoid confrontation and war.
Over 100,000 Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, according to Philippine government data.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Business Keppel to sell M1 unit's telco business to Simba for $1.43 billion
Business Nvidia, AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US, official says
Singapore Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650 million in healthcare costs by 2050: Study
Singapore BTO income ceiling, age floor for singles being reviewed: Chee Hong Tat
World Netanyahu says Israel's new Gaza offensive will start soon
Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices
Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge
Business Singapore can deliver and thrive in a fragmented global economy: Morgan Stanley analysts
"War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say," Mr Marcos said.
Mr Marcos' comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
11 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump meets with Intel CEO, along with US Commerce, Treasury secretaries
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan The CEO had invested in hundreds of Chinese firms, some of which were linked to the Chinese military. WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Aug 11 he met with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, along with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Shares of Intel, considered to be at the heart of America's domestic chip manufacturing ambitions, rose 2.2 per cent in extended trading. 'The meeting was a very interesting one,' Mr Trump said on Truth Social, adding that his Cabinet members and Mr Tan are going to spend time together and bring suggestions to him during the next week. Mr Trump last week demanded Mr Tan's immediate resignation over ties to Chinese firms, injecting uncertainty into the chipmaker's years-long turnaround effort. The CEO had invested in hundreds of Chinese firms, some of which were linked to the Chinese military, Reuters reported exclusively in April. Mr Tan has been tasked to undo years of missteps that left Intel struggling to make inroads in the booming AI chip industry dominated by Nvidia, while investment-heavy contract manufacturing ambitions led to heavy losses. But the demand for Mr Tan's resignation will only distract him from that task, investors and a former senior employee have told Reuters. REUTERS
Straits Times
11 minutes ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 12, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Containers are seen at the port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province on Aug 11, 2025. Trump signs order extending China tariff truce by 90 days US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending a tariff truce with China by another 90 days, a White House official said on Aug 11 with only hours to go before US tariffs on Chinese goods were due to snap back to triple-digit rates. The order followed a noncommittal answer by Mr Trump to reporters as to whether he would extend the lower tariff rates a day after he urged Beijing to quadruple its purchases of US soybeans. A tariff truce between Beijing and Washington was set to expire on Aug 12 at 12.01am Eastern time (12pm in Singapore). The order prevents US tariffs on Chinese goods from shooting up to 145 per cent, with Chinese tariffs on US goods set to hit 125 per cent, rates that would have resulted in a virtual trade embargo. 'We'll see what happens,' Mr Trump told a press conference, when asked how he planned to extend the deadline. 'They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi (Jinping) and myself.' READ MORE HERE Trump open to Nvidia selling scaled-back Blackwell chip to China PHOTO: REUTERS US President Donald Trump signalled on Aug 11 that he'd be open to allowing Nvidia Corp to sell a scaled-back version of its most advanced AI chip to China. Mr Trump said he would consider a deal that would allow Nvidia to ship its Blackwell chips to China if the company could design it to be less advanced. 'It's possible I'd make a deal' on a 'somewhat enhanced – in a negative way – Blackwell' processor, he said in a briefing with reporters. 'In other words, take 30 per cent to 50 per cent off of it.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump seizes control of Washington police, deploys National Guard Business Lower-wage retail workers to receive up to 6% pay bump from Sept 1 Singapore Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers Singapore ST Explains: Who owns Simba, the company that is buying M1? Singapore Telco price undercutting expected to subside after sale of M1 to Simba: Analysts Singapore ST Explains: What is Vers and which HDB estates could it be rolled out in? Singapore For Vers to work, compensation should account for varied needs of HDB flat owners: Observers Singapore At least $2m lost in S'pore to govt official impersonation scams involving cryptocurrency in Q1 Nvidia declined to comment on the president's remarks. Mr Trump made his assertion on Nvidia's Blackwell chip while confirming that he'd hammered out a separate, unusual deal with Nvidia that will allow the company to sell its less-advanced H20 AI chip to China if it pays 15 per cent of revenue tied to those shipments to the US government. READ MORE HERE Child dies in Italy as European heatwave sets records and sparks wildfires PHOTO: REUTERS A young boy died of heatstroke in Italy while wildfires threatened a Unesco site in Spain and French cities saw record temperatures, as a heatwave baked Europe on Aug 11. Many towns and cities in France, Italy and the Balkans were put on red alert due to the heat. Wildfires fanned by strong winds forced the evacuations of thousands of people throughout the continent and threatened popular tourist sites in Turkey and Spain. READ MORE HERE Trump seizes control of Washington police, deploys National Guard President Donald Trump announced he would take federal control of Washington, DC's police department and deploy 800 National Guard troops there, escalating his push to exert power over the nation's capital. Mr Trump on Aug 11 also threatened to insert federal personnel into other cities, including New York and Chicago, if they did not crack down on what he called 'out of control' crime. During a White House news conference, Mr Trump painted a nightmarish picture of a Washington that's been 'overtaken' by 'bloodthirsty criminals' and 'roving mobs of wild youth' that was at direct odds with statistics showing plummeting crime rates. Violent crimes in the capital reached a 30-year low in 2024, the Justice Department announced weeks before Mr Trump took office in January. READ MORE HERE Sabalenka survives massive Cincinnati struggle with Raducanu Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka fought through a three-hour battle to hold off an inspired Emma Raducanu 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) on Aug 11 and reach the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open. The top seed, who won the Cincinnati final a year ago over Jessica Pegula, increased her lead at the top of the WTA Tour match-win statistics as she secured her 49th of the season. But the struggle was real for Sabalenka, who finished with two aces in the closing stages.
Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- Straits Times
‘Disaster': Trump calls for legislation to end no-cash bail in US cities as part of crime crackdown
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump speaking to the press about deploying federal law enforcement agents in Washington to bolster the local police presence on Aug 11. WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Aug 11 said he would ask Congress to tighten US crime laws as part of a crackdown on violent crime in the District of Columbia and other US cities. He said Congress should end reforms in Chicago, New York and some other cities that allow some accused criminals to get out of jail ahead of their trial dates without posting a cash bond. 'Every place in the country where you have no-cash bail is a disaster,' he said at a White House press conference where he announced that he was putting the US capital's police department under federal control and deploying 800 National Guard troops. He said the Department of Justice would craft legislation to end the practice and called on his fellow Republicans to push the bill through the narrowly divided Senate and House of Representatives. It was not clear how he intended to end no-cash bail policies, which are often determined by state law. Ms Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington, also said Congress should allow more juveniles to be charged as adults. 'I can't arrest them. I can't prosecute them. They go to family court and they get to do yoga, and arts and crafts. Enough. It changes today,' she said. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump seizes control of Washington police, deploys National Guard Business Lower-wage retail workers to receive up to 6% pay bump from Sept 1 Singapore Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers Singapore ST Explains: Who owns Simba, the company that is buying M1? Singapore Telco price undercutting expected to subside after sale of M1 to Simba: Analysts Singapore ST Explains: What is Vers and which HDB estates could it be rolled out in? Singapore For Vers to work, compensation should account for varied needs of HDB flat owners: Observers Singapore At least $2m lost in S'pore to govt official impersonation scams involving cryptocurrency in Q1 State governments have reformed bail systems in recent years by relying on supervised pre-trial release rather than the posting of cash bonds, which have been blamed for reinforcing racial and economic disparities and creating a two-tiered system of justice. Conservatives say that leads to higher crime rates, though a study by the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice at New York University found no evidence of that. Mr Trump's comments appeared to catch Republicans in Congress off-guard. House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated Mr Trump's crackdown in Washington in a social media post but did not mention new legislation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune's office was not immediately available for comment. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer pledged to advance legislation to 'protect Americans in their capital city' and hold a hearing with District of Columbia officials in September. Lawmakers intend to advance a bill that would allow alleged offenders aged 18 and older in Washington to be tried as adults, a Republican committee spokesperson said. The bill would also prevent youth offenders from receiving sentences below the mandatory minimum for a given crime. REUTERS
