Biden, Marcos, Ishiba trilateral call moved to Monday due to LA fires

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — US President Joe Biden will have a trilateral telephone call with Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Ferdinand Marcos early Monday, Marcos’s spokesman said Sunday.

The call was supposed to have been held on Sunday, but has been postponed because of the Los Angeles wildfires, presidential spokesman Cesar Chavez said in a statement.

The three leaders are expected to discuss progress made on mutual cooperation, economic matters, and recent regional and global developments.

READ: Marcos, Biden, Ishiba trilateral phone call set on Jan. 12 – Palace

The three countries have stepped up security cooperation to blunt China’s efforts to control most of the disputed South China Sea.

Biden earlier cancelled a January 9-12 trip to Italy to focus instead on the federal response to the California wildfires.

READ: LA fires threaten more homes as winds forecast to pick up

His term ends on January 20 when Donald Trump will be sworn in as the next US leader.