Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, met today with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila, the Philippines. Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, and President Marcos discussed the momentum in United States-Philippines relations over the past year and reaffirmed the critical role of the U.S.-Philippines Alliance in realizing a shared vision of a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, and President Marcos further discussed their shared commitment to upholding international law in the South China Sea. The two secretaries underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty.
Secretary Blinken recounted advances in economic relations between the two nations. These include the entry into force of the United States and the Philippines’ Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (or “123 Agreement”), over $1 billion in investment pledges from the U.S. Presidential Trade and Investment Mission in March 2024, the launch of the Luzon Economic Corridor under the PGI-IPEF Investment Accelerator with Japan, the first United States-Philippines Cyber-Digital Dialogue, and successful co-hosting of the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Manila. The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to advancing shared economic priorities on semiconductors, clean energy, cybersecurity and digital economy initiatives, as well as high-quality infrastructure.
