Philippines closely monitors threat of invasion of Taiwan – defence chief

MANILA, July 20 (Reuters) – The threat of China invading Taiwan is something U.S. military ally the Philippines is monitoring on a daily basis as part of Manila’s contingency plans for possible conflict in the region, its defence chief said on Thursday. “We really have to make an assessment whether such is likely or not,” Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro told reporters. “Nonetheless, we continue to plan on all contingencies not merely any flashpoint between China and Taiwan, but any contingency within the theatre,” he added. Of the five U.S. treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific – Australia, South Korea, Japan, the…