Philippines explore cable protection with Taiwan amid rising tensions with China
Manila is exploring cooperation to protect undersea cables as tensions at sea mount.
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The Philippines are examining closer cooperation with Taiwan to protect undersea cables and counter so-called grey-zone activities. A Filipino diplomat announced this on Wednesday, as China and the Philippines once again faced off over disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Felipe F. Carino III, deputy head of the Philippine diplomatic mission in Washington, said at a meeting that Manila was exploring practical cooperation with Taiwan. This included, he said, sharing knowledge and building capacity to protect cable connections in the Bashi Channel, between Taiwan and the Philippines.
The Philippines formally recognise the One-China policy, under which Beijing, not Taipei, is recognised as the government of China. Carino nevertheless said that cooperation with Taiwan might be necessary to protect shared interests. He mentioned no concrete agreements on joint patrols. The cooperation was still developing, he said.
Undersea cables are of great importance to international communications and data traffic. Taiwan has recently paid additional attention to protecting such connections following incidents in which vessels with a possible link to China were mentioned. Reuters also reports that the Philippine coastguard sent a large vessel and an aircraft this month to the area around the northern province of Batanes, where, according to the news agency, cable routes are located.
The move comes at a time of renewed tensions between Manila and Beijing. The Chinese coastguard said on Wednesday that it had followed a Philippine resupply mission to a vessel near Second Thomas Shoal. The two countries regularly give differing accounts of such confrontations; independent verification of all operational details is limited.
Diplomatically, too, relations have deteriorated. According to AP, the Philippine government summoned the Chinese ambassador on Monday after remarks that Manila regarded as a veiled threat of force. China defended its ambassador and called the Philippine response excessive, according to the Associated Press.
Second Thomas Shoal lies in the Spratly Islands and is regarded as a major flashpoint in the conflict. In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal ruled that China’s broad claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis and that parts of the area fell within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China rejected the ruling. The recent steps do not mean that the Philippines have announced a formal policy change towards Taiwan, but they could deepen strategic cooperation in the region.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Philippines are examining cooperation with Taiwan on the security of undersea cables.
- China and the Philippines dispute each other’s accounts of incidents and resupply missions in the South China Sea.
- China has rejected the 2016 ruling by the arbitral tribunal.
- The United States has a security treaty with the Philippines.
Left
Arguments The emphasis is on international law, protecting public infrastructure and preventing economic connections from becoming pawns in great-power politics. Cooperation with Taiwan can be justified if it remains focused on security rather than military escalation.
Values The international rule of law, democratic oversight, civilian security and restraint in the use of military force.
Consequences A confrontation could harm regional stability and global communications; diplomatic channels and multilateral agreements should therefore be given priority.
Centre
Arguments The Philippines must be able to protect their cables and shipping, but cooperation with Taiwan should be carefully designed so as not to put the One-China policy to the test unnecessarily. Transparency and crisis communication are essential.
Values Institutional continuity, proportionality, reliability towards allies and risk management.
Consequences Practical cooperation can increase resilience, but unclear or military agreements could cause misunderstandings and escalation.
Right
Arguments From this perspective, China is systematically testing the limits of other countries. The Philippines and their partners must therefore strengthen deterrence, secure cables and make clear that intimidation will produce no results.
Values National sovereignty, security, deterrence and the protection of strategic infrastructure.
Consequences Too much restraint could encourage China, while a stronger regional position could instead reduce the risk of further pressure and incidents.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is based on recent reporting by Reuters and AP. The historical and legal context was checked against a report by the Congressional Research Service.
- confirmed The Philippines are exploring closer cooperation with Taiwan to protect undersea cables. — Reported by Reuters on 21 October 2026, based on remarks by Philippine diplomat Felipe F. Carino III. source
- confirmed The Philippines formally recognise the One-China policy. — Reuters reports that Manila recognises Beijing, not Taipei. source
- confirmed The Chinese coastguard reported that it had followed a Philippine resupply mission near Second Thomas Shoal. — Reported by Reuters on 21 October 2026; the precise operational circumstances remain a Chinese account. source
- confirmed The Philippine government summoned the Chinese ambassador after remarks interpreted as a threat of force. — AP describes the diplomatic step and the Philippine and Chinese responses. source
- confirmed An international arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s broad claims had no legal basis. — Summarised in the CRS report on the South China Sea. source
Editor's note
The current cooperation on cable security and the diplomatic escalation have been confirmed by Reuters and AP. The operational details of the resupply mission are based on the Chinese coastguard and could not be independently verified.Sources
- Philippines exploring deeper cooperation with Taiwan to protect cables — Reuters via MarketScreener
- Philippine government protests Chinese ambassador's threat of force — Associated Press
- China-Philippines Tensions in the South China Sea — Congressional Research Service
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