President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. left Manila on Sunday for an official visit to the United States as he seeks to bolster ties with Washington amid growing tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea.
The President’s visit comes as the United States had called on Beijing to stop “provocative and unsafe conduct” in the disputed waterway after a recent near-collision with a Philippine Coast Guard vessel.
Ahead of Mr. Marcos’s visit, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller slammed 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,” Miller said in a statement, adding that any attack on Philippine armed forces would trigger a US response.
Mr. Marcos begins his four-day trip with a meeting with US President Joe Biden on Monday at the White House, which the Philippine leader described as “essential to advancing our national interest and strengthening that very important alliance.”
“We will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our longstanding alliance as an instrument of peace and as a catalyst of development in the Asia Pacific region,” Mr. Marcos said in a departure statement.
His plane took off at around 1:43 p.m. in Manila, according to the Presidential Communications Office.
In his departure speech at the Villamor Airbase, the President said his visit to the US would reinforce Manila and Washington’s “already strong bonds” by “bringing our alliance into the 21st century.”
President Marcos said his visit builds on the “active exchanges” between the two countries, which include the chief executive’s meeting with US President Joseph Biden in New York last September, the visit to Manila of US Vice President Kamala Harris in November, as well as the numerous visits by senior officials on both sides.
Manila and Washington are also expected to bolster partnerships in the semiconductor industry, critical minerals, renewable and clean energy, including nuclear, and infrastructure projects “that will improve ourdigital and telecommunication systems and facilitate sustainability efforts to address climate change,” President said.
The President is also expected to meet with American business leaders to further promote trade and investment opportunities in the Philippines.
In these roundtable meetings, President Marcos will be joined by his economic team as well as key Filipino private sector leaders to explore business opportunities that seek to grow the economy even more.
While in Washington, the President will also meet the Filipino community “who continue to contribute towards the country’s economic prosperity.”
House of Representatives Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan on Sunday wished the President “all the success” on his five-day official visit to the United States.
“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,” Libanan said.
“If we look at the latest surveys, the creation of new jobs remains among the top concerns of Filipinos,” Libanan said.
At present, American multinational corporations in the Philippines are invested mostly in manufacturing, wholesale trade, and professional,scientific, and technical services, including highly labor-intensive business process outsourcing (BPO) activities. With Vince Lopez and Rio N. Araja
