MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. arrived in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night (U.S. time) to attend the first trilateral meeting with American President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The plane carrying Marcos Jr., along with members of the Philippine delegation, landed at around 7:47 p.m. at John Base Andrews in Maryland, where he was warmly welcomed by Philippine Embassy and U.S. officials.
“It is a historic meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and it is aimed at advancing trilateral cooperation between our three countries, which have long enjoyed warm and friendly relations, and robust cooperation,” the President said in his departure speech at Villamor Air Base, Pasay City.
He added that the visit builds upon his previous meeting with Kishida and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris last September in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“During this Summit, I will underscore the importance of enhancing our economic cooperation, with a view of promoting economic resilience and of course, security,” he said.
Marcos Jr. intends to explore ways of advancing cooperation, especially in the areas of critical infrastructure, semiconductors, digitalization and cybersecurity, critical minerals, renewable energy, as well as defense and maritime cooperation.
He is expected to exchange views with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts on various regional security issues of mutual concern, such as the importance of upholding the rule of law and preserving the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Chief Executive is also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Biden.
Furthermore, he is expected to meet with U.S. business leaders to invite them to invest in the Philippines.
“The main intent of this trilateral agreement is for us to be able to continue to flourish, to be able to help one another, and of course, to keep the South China Sea as a freedom— to keep the peace in the South China Sea and the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea,” Marcos Jr. said. - Florenda Corpuz
(Photo courtesy of PCO)
