Philippine Poll Shows Support for Cooperation in South China Sea, Support for Taiwan Doubles

(Central News Agency, Manila, 10th) A latest opinion poll shows that nearly 90% of Filipinos support the government's cooperation with like-minded countries to defend sovereignty in the "West Philippine Sea". Among potential partners, the United States, Japan, and Australia received the highest support. Taiwan ranked 8th, but its support rate nearly doubled compared to six months ago.

The poll was commissioned by Philippine think tank Stratbase and conducted by Pulse Asia from May 3 to 7, surveying 1,500 Filipino adults. It was released ahead of the 128th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration ruling.

The survey found that 86% of respondents agreed that the Philippines should cooperate with like-minded countries to defend its rights in the "West Philippine Sea" based on the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling. Only 3% opposed, and 11% were undecided.

The "West Philippine Sea" is the official Philippine term for its claimed areas in the South China Sea, including the exclusive economic zone extending 200 nautical miles west from its territorial sea baseline.

When asked "Which countries or organizations should the Philippines cooperate with to defend the West Philippine Sea?", 84% chose the United States, ranking first. This was followed by Japan (67%), Australia (57%), Canada (51%), and South Korea (44%).

23% of respondents believed the Philippines should cooperate with Taiwan to defend its rights in the "West Philippine Sea", placing Taiwan 8th. Regionally, support for cooperation with Taiwan was highest in Metro Manila at 30%.

India and China ranked at the bottom of the survey, with only 9% and 18% of respondents respectively seeing them as partners for defending the "West Philippine Sea".

Stratbase CEO Dindo Manhit said the poll results send a clear message to the government: in the face of harassment in the "West Philippine Sea", the Philippines must firmly defend its rights while maintaining close cooperation with like-minded partners.

Regarding Taiwan's ranking among partner options, Manhit told Central News Agency that the survey is a public opinion poll, and the results reflect the subjective views of respondents, without further exploring the reasons for their choices.

Compared to a similar survey conducted in December 2025, support for the US rose from 82% to 84%, for Japan from 64% to 67%, and for Taiwan from 12% to 23%.

Manhit noted that this shows Filipinos can distinguish which countries support the Philippines' legitimate rights in the "West Philippine Sea" and which countries' actions exacerbate tensions there. (Editor: Tang Shengyang) 1150610