Marcos' embrace of Taiwan's Lai was more than a friendly gesture
Richard Heydarian is a senior lecturer at the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines and author of "The Indo-Pacific: Trump, China and the New Struggle for Global Mastery."
On the surface, it would hardly seem unusual that Lai Ching-te was formally congratulated last week on his election as president of Taiwan by the incumbent president of his island's next-door neighbor, the Philippines.