South China Sea: Philippines at risk of attack if it hosts Beijing’s enemy in event of war, Cagayan governor says

The governor of a Philippine province has suggested that China will not hesitate to attack the Philippines if Beijing becomes involved in a conflict with forces being hosted by the Southeast Asian nation.

Manuel Mamba, governor of Cagayan province, located around 600km south of Taiwan, said on Tuesday that Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong conveyed the warning to him in a meeting in May last year in Beijing.

“They will be forced to count us as their enemy,” added the governor, who is against the presence of foreign troops in the Philippines.

Mamba shared Sun’s message at a time when the Philippines and the United States recently concluded a joint military exercise, with limited participation from other countries. The exercise took place in several areas of the country, including Cagayan and nearby Batanes province, which lies closer to Taiwan.

“For as long as we do not have foreign forces here, I think we could avoid being involved in any war,” Mamba said, noting that scrapping a military bases access agreement with the US can also end China’s bullying in the South China Sea.

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Sun also reiterated China’s preference for a bilateral approach in handling its maritime disputes with the Philippines and the need for the two countries to maintain “good neighbourliness,” said Mamba, who wants his mainly agricultural province to benefit from China’s economic growth.

“We just talk and let the diplomats do that, not the generals. When the generals start talking, it’s war. But when the diplomats are the ones talking, they always look at the brighter side and the middle ground, the grey area,” he said about the maritime disputes.

Despite Sun’s