US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo (right) hold joint press conference in Pasay City on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (Arnel Tacson, INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — There is a new horizon of cooperation between Japan, the Philippines and the United States (US), said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is headed to Washington D.C. in the US for a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio next month.
“We have your upcoming visit to Washington, to see President Biden and also to have a trilateral meeting with President Prime Minister Kishida, I think a new horizon of cooperation is also incredibly promising, but it is also building on the very strong foundation of our countries,” Blinken told Marcos in a courtesy call in Malacañan Palace.
The White House earlier announced the trilateral meeting, which comes amid worsening tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
China is continuously encroaching on Philippine territory, with numerous ship collisions and water cannon incidents.
During the meeting, Marcos said that the US was attending to many issues. However, Blinken assured Marcos that the US was prioritizing its relations with the Philippines.
“We are working on a number of challenges around the world and have even discussed them with you, but I think so important to us is that even with dealing with those other challenges, our focus, our engagement, our commitment, to Indo pacific, at large and to the relationship, alliance between US and Philippines in particular, is more than rock solid, it’s the absolute priority of President [Joe] Biden,” said Marcos.