Biden to meet Marcos at White House on May 1

 From Rappler (Apr 21, 2023): Biden to meet Marcos at White House on May 1 (By REUTERS)

(2ND UPDATE) 'During the visit, President Biden will reaffirm the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines,' the White House says

US President Joe Biden will meet his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the White House on May 1 to discuss economic cooperation and the Indo-Pacific region, Manila and Washington said on Friday, April 21.

The treaty allies have enjoyed warmer ties since Marcos took office last June, reversing his predecessor’s anti-US stance.

Next month’s bilateral talks will be the latest in a series of high-level meetings the Philippines has conducted with leaders of the United States and China, both of which are jostling for strategic advantage in the region.

Biden and Marcos will discuss economic and defense cooperation, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

“During the visit, President Biden will reaffirm the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines, and the leaders will discuss efforts to strengthen the longstanding U.S.-Philippines alliance,” the statement said.

The Philippines this month identified four more military bases that the US may access amid shared concerns about China’s growing might.

China’s ambassador to Manila last week accused the Philippines of “stoking the fire” of regional tensions by offering the expanded base access to the US.
‘Reaffirming special relationship’

In a statement, Malacañang said the official visit will be “aimed at reaffirming the special relationship between the Philippines and the United States.”

“The President’s itinerary will begin on 1 May with a meeting with US President Joe Biden, followed by an expanded meeting with key Cabinet officials,” the Philippines’ Presidential Communications Office said.

“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 Marcos and Biden are expected to discuss include agriculture, energy, climate change, digital transformation and technology, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, supply chains, and infrastructure, said Malacañang.

“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,” it added.

Marcos’ visit to the US happens days after the 2023 iteration of Balikatan, the annual bilateral exercise between Filipino and American troops, wrap up. The 2023 version of the exercise is the largest one to date, according to the US Embassy in Manila.

In what will be his second trip to the United States in less than a year, the presidential palace said on Friday that Marcos will travel to Washington from April 30 to May 4 to meet Biden and key cabinet officials.

Marcos first met Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York back in September 2022.

It was that working visit to the US when Marcos, speaking at the New York Stock Exchange, said he “cannot see the Philippines in the future without having the United States as a partner.”

It was a sneak peak into one of Marcos’ major deviations from his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, whose governance Marcos vaguely promised to continue when he ran in 2022.

“It will substantively progress efforts to further deepen…political ties, to bring about lasting socio-economic partnerships, as well as to enhance defence and security cooperation,” the palace said.

Marcos will seek closer partnership in agriculture, energy, climate change, digital transformation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, supply chains, and infrastructure, it added.

More than 17,000 Philippine and US soldiers are currently conducting their largest ever joint military drills in the Southeast Asian country, drawing criticism from China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will meet his local counterpart and Marcos on Saturday, just weeks after the Philippines gave the United States access to four additional military bases.

In March, the Philippines hosted a meeting between Manila and Beijing’s diplomats to discuss the South China Sea, a key trade corridor that’s also a source of tensions between the two countries.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/biden-marcos-jr-meeting-white-house-united-states-may-2023/