President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wasn’t “playing with fire” when he stated that should an all-out war occur between the United States and China over Taiwan, “there is no way that the Philippines can simply stay out of it.

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,

Reacting to China’s remark that he was “playing with fire” for saying earlier the Philippines would “inevitably” get involved should war break out between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan, President Marcos said on Monday that he was “just stating facts.