A senior US administration official says it is impossible to underestimate its strategic importance of the Philippines, although the relationship is more than just about security.
WASHINGTON, DC, USA – At a summit on Monday, May 1, US President Joe Biden and Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are expected to reach agreements on greater business engagement, as well as “military enhancements” amid shared concerns about China, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters.
“We will roll out some deliverables during the next week that will highlight business engagement but also some military enhancements as well,” he said on Saturday, April 29. “We’re seeking not to be provocative, but to provide both moral and practical support for the Philippines as they try to make their way in a complex Western Pacific,” the official said. “Their geographic position is critical,” he added.
In the face of such pressure from China, the Philippines and the United States have rapidly stepped up defense engagements, including large-scale military exercises and a recent expansion of U.S. access to Philippine bases. China has objected to the bases agreement.
Alluding to the difficult period in bilateral relations under Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, the official said Monday’s summit would be part of efforts to build the “habits of alliance management” back to levels of the 1970s and 1980s.
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