Many eyes and ears will be
zeroing in on the meeting in Washington today between President Joe Biden
and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,
their second since September last year
on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
President Marcos’ official visit comes at a time as the 65-year-old
Filipino leader, 15 years Biden’s junior,
seeks to bolster bonds with Washington amid growing tensions with Beijing
in the disputed South China Sea.
The trip follows Washington’s
call on Beijing to stop “provocative and
unsafe conduct” in the disputed waterway after a recent near-collision with a
Philippine coast guard vessel.
Mr. Marcos has described his
meeting with President Biden, a year
away from running for re-election, at the
White House as “essential to advancing
our national interest and strengthening
that very important alliance.”
“We will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our long standing alliance as an instrument of peace and
as a catalyst of development in the Asia
Pacific region,” the President said in a
pre-departure statement.
The visit comes just three
months after the United States secured
access to four key military bases in the
Philippines—a deal seen by observers
as a major step in Washington’s bid to
counter China in the region.
The agreement will add to
the five Philippine bases the United
States already uses for training and the
pre-positioning of equipment.
The visit happens just days after the 2023 repeat of Balikatan, the annual bilateral exercise between Filipino
and American troops, was concluded.
Earlier on, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller blasted China over the near collision of one
of its coast guard ships with a Philippine
patrol boat a week ago, saying it was a
reminder of Beijing’s “harassment and
intimidation” in the contested waterway.
“We call upon Beijing to desist
from its provocative and unsafe conduct,” he said in a statement, adding
any attack on Philippine armed forces
would trigger a US response.
President Marcos’ meeting
with Mr Biden will be followed by an expanded meeting with key Cabinet officials,” according to the Philippine Presidential Communications Office.
“It will substantively progress
efforts to further deepen relations and
political ties, to bring about lasting socio-economic partnerships, as well as
to enhance defense and security cooperation,” Malacañang said.
Topics the two leaders are expected to discuss include agriculture,
energy, climate change, digital transformation and technology, humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief, supply
chains, and infrastructure.
“The trip will highlight the
steadfast commitment by both sides to
be reliable and resilient allies and partners in times of crisis and prosperity,
amid a challenging global and regional
environment,” Malacanang said.
Whatever will be discussed
and agreements signed, allies will be
watching and listening intently to the
two leaders’ phrasal verbs and full
