Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Sunday, Dec 08, 2024

Philippines’ president to forge stronger relations with US during visit

Philippines’ president to forge stronger relations with US during visit

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Sunday that his upcoming meeting with US President Joe Biden was essential to advance his country’s national interest and strengthen the “very important alliance” between Manila and Washington.
Marcos departed Manila on Sunday for the first state visit of a Philippine leader to Washington in almost a decade, following a series of high-level engagements in the past year, including his meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September and the visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris to the Philippines in November.

Marcos said: “My visit to the United States and more especially my meeting with President Joe Biden is essential to advancing our national interests and strengthening that very important alliance.”

His trip comes at a time of growing geopolitical tension over self-ruled Taiwan and concerns over China’s conduct in the disputed South China Sea. It also takes place amid stronger Philippine-US defense ties marked by their largest-ever joint military drills in April and a recent expansion of US access to Philippine bases.

Marcos highlighted his determination to strengthen Philippine-US ties “in a wide range of areas that not only address concerns of our times, but also those that are critical to advancing our core interests,” citing areas such as food security, climate change, cybersecurity, and economic resilience.

The Philippines would reaffirm its “commitment to fostering our long-standing alliances as an instrument of peace and as a catalyst of development in the Asia Pacific region,” Marcos added, while also pushing “for greater economic engagement” with the US.

Although the Filipino leader has been seeking good relations with both China and the US, the Philippines’ ties with the latter are only returning after years under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who distanced Manila from Washington in favor of Beijing.

“He’s taking time out and I think … the optics of that are just massive, especially considering the last administration,” Stephen Cutler, former FBI legal attache to Manila, told Arab News. “So, I think this is going to be good.”

Marcos’ trip also gives room to discuss other issues in Philippine-US relations besides their defense ties, Cutler said.

“The relationship with the United States and the issues that the Philippines faces go far beyond only or mere military security.

“One of the things that the president’s visit will allow him to do is to establish some really good, I hope, relationships with the US businesses that have the ability to add jobs in that field here in the Philippines,” he added.

Job creation, according to national surveys, is among the top concerns among Filipinos.

Marcelino Libanan, minority leader at the Philippine House of Representatives, said: “We are all counting on the president’s trip to pave the way for additional American direct investment inflows that we need to support our economic recovery and generate new employment.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×