Taiwan's foreign minister is pressing Manila to extend visa-free travel beyond its current annual renewal—a request that highlights the diplomatic chess game unfolding across Southeast Asia as nations balance between Beijing's economic gravity and territorial disputes.
Chia-lung Lin, Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Philippine journalists in Taipei that Taiwan deserves permanent visa-free status, arguing that Taiwanese visitors bring "positive engagement" compared to mainland Chinese tourists. The 14-day visa-free arrangement for both Taiwan and China expires July 31.
"It would be better if we don't have to review or renew it every year," Lin said, according to Philippine media reports. Manila granted identical 14-day visa-free access to Chinese nationals in January, a move that complicated Taiwan's push for preferential treatment.
The visa diplomacy unfolds as Vietnam's Tô Lâm, who serves as both president and General Secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee, prepares for a state visit to Manila on May 31-June 1. It marks the first visit by Vietnam's party leader to the Philippines—Hanoi's only strategic partner in Southeast Asia.
The timing is deliberate. Both countries face pressure from Beijing over overlapping claims in the South China Sea, where 's coast guard has rammed Philippine vessels and blocked Vietnamese fishing boats from disputed waters. Yet both also depend heavily on Chinese trade, forcing a delicate balancing act.
