PH, US seek to strengthen economic, defense ties

MANILA – The Philippines is aiming to further strengthen its economic and defense cooperation during the visit of United States (US) Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Department of Foreign Affairs ( DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo said he will discuss with Blinken the current status of the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the US.

He added that he will tackle with Blink en the progress in the two countries’ shared commitment to enhance their alliance in pursuit of common interests.

“We intend to review regional and global developments t hat have significant i mplications for our mutual security, economic growt h , and shared aspirations,” Manalo said.

“We will build on the recent discussions with visiting US officials f or deeper and greater economic engagement between our two countries,” he added.

Manalo also said his scheduled meeting with Blinken is a right avenue to discuss ways to ensure that the defense and economic ties between the Philippines and the US are responsive to present and future challenges.

“We are aiming to determine what concrete measures may be undertaken further in order to implement the directives of Presidents Marcos and Biden to ensure that our alliance and partnership remains relevant and responsive to current, emerging, and cross-cutting challenges in the defense, security, economic, and people- to- people spheres,” he added.

They will also talk about the clean and renewable energy development, semiconductors, and the digital economy and overall bilateral cooperation in the context of regional issues, including peace and stability in the South China Sea./