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The Philippines
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Trump to host Philippines’ Marcos Jnr to discuss Asia trade, security

The Philippines and the US have boosted mutual defence engagements to step up deterrence against China’s increasing aggression in Asia

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The Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr will visit the United States from July 20 to 22 and meet US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP
Associated Press
US President Donald Trump will host his Philippine counterpart in the White House this month to discuss how the long-time treaty allies can further deepen their security and economic engagements, Philippine officials said on Friday.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr will visit the United States from July 20 to 22, but Philippine officials were still finalising details of his meeting with Trump with the US State Department, the Philippine government said.
The allies have boosted mutual defence engagements, including large-scale combat exercises in the Philippines, to strengthen deterrence against China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the region.
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Among the proposed topics for discussion is strengthening “peace through deterrence”, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said.

That echoed US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks about the US military’s plan to ratchet up deterrence against China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed South China Sea by intensifying security engagements with the Philippines and allied nations in the region.

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The Philippines has also expressed concern over a 20 per cent tariff the Trump administration plans to impose on Manila’s exports starting August 1 unless a deal is reached. A Philippine trade delegation would travel to the US next week to pursue negotiations with American counterparts.

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