Poland and the Philippines should strengthen cooperation amid hostile Eurasian powers, analysts quoted in the South China Morning Post claim.
Expert: Similar Dilemmas
The comprehensive article on Poland‑Philippines relations was published by the Hong Kong‑based South China Morning Post. Its author, Sam Beltran, cites Chester Cabalza from the International Development and Security Cooperation think tank. Cabalza argues that despite geographical distance, Manila can glean valuable lessons from Warsaw because both countries confront comparable strategic quandaries. He emphasizes that Poland and the Philippines are on the “front line between powers.”
Since Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has doubled its defense budget. The article notes the closure of the Russian consulate in Krakow and, as Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski explained in May, this action was a response to evidence that Russian services were involved in arson attacks on the Marywilska commercial centre in Warsaw.
Unlimited Cooperation?
Meanwhile, the Philippines is engaged in a territorial dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea, an area the Filipinos refer to as the Exclusive Economic Zone in that part of the South China Sea. “In recent years China has been accused of using ‘gray‑zone tactics’ to assert its claims, despite an international tribunal ruling in favour of the Philippines in 2016,” the article reports. Cabalza notes parallels in how both nations modernise their defence systems. Richard Heydarian echoes this analysis in his piece for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, concluding that the two countries should pursue “serious strategic cooperation” and form a “mid‑power alliance” in response to aggressive revisionist powers across Eurasia.
He further observes that areas such as drone production, helicopters, cyber security, renewable energy, shipbuilding and food security face no limits for Polish‑Filipino collaboration.
Radosław Sikorski’s Visit to the Philippines
In September of last year, Polish diplomatic chief Radosław Sik visited Manila. He outlined a broad agenda covering economic cooperation, geopolitical matters, regional and global conflicts, migration, and partnerships in information technology. Sikorski admitted that “friendly relations between our countries hadn’t been intense enough in the past” and pledged several future high‑level visits.
