New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the Philippines would inevitably be affected in the event of a military conflict between China and the United States (US) over Taiwan, citing the country's geographic proximity and the presence of thousands of Filipino workers on the self-ruled island.

"If there is a confrontation over Taiwan between China and the United States, there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it, simply because of our physical geographic location," Marcos said in an interview with Indian media outlet Firstpost on Wednesday during his state visit to India.

"The large city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan is a 40-minute flight away from the capital of my province in northern Philippines, in Laoag. Tha...