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<\/a><\/p>\nWASHINGTON\/MANILA (Reuters) – U.S. 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.<\/p>\n
The treaty allies have enjoyed warmer ties since Marcos took office last June, reversing his predecessor’s anti-U.S. stance. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Biden and Marcos will discuss economic and defence cooperation, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Marcos will seek closer partnership in agriculture, energy, climate change, digital transformation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, supply chains, and infrastructure, it added.<\/p>\n
More than 17,000 Philippine and U.S. soldiers are currently conducting their largest ever joint military drills in the Southeast Asian country, drawing criticism from China.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\n(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Costas Pitas and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Additional Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)<\/p>\n
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