Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says his country will inevitably be drawn “kicking and screaming” in any war over Taiwan due to its proximity and the presence of large numbers of Filipino workers on the self-ruled island,

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said "we do not want to go to war, but I think if there is a war over Taiwan, we will be drawn, we will be pulled in whether we like it or not, kicking and screaming.

The Philippines does not want to go to war but will never order its vessels to withdraw from contested areas, the country’s president said following yet another coastguard encounter with China near Scarborough Shoal.