Latest news with #FerdinandMarcosJr
The Independent
3 minutes ago
- Business
- The Independent
Trump and Philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and China at the White House
President Donald Trump plans to host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday at the White House, as the two countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. Marcos, who met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, is set to become the first Southeast Asian leader to hold talks with Trump in his second term. Marcos' three-day visit shows the importance of the alliance between the treaty partners at a time when China is increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have clashed over the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal. Washington sees Beijing, the world's No. 2 economy, as its biggest competitor, and consecutive presidential administrations have sought to shift U.S. military and economic focus to the Asia-Pacific in a bid to counter China. Trump, like others before him, has been distracted by efforts to broker peace in a range of conflicts, from Ukraine to Gaza. Tariffs also are expected to be on the agenda. Trump has threatened to impose 20% tariffs on Filipino goods on Aug. 1 unless the two sides can strike a deal. "I intend to convey to President Trump and his Cabinet officials that the Philippines is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that will ensure strong, mutually beneficial and future-oriented collaborations that only the United States and the Philippines will be able to take advantage of,' Marcos said Sunday when he was departing for Washington, according to his office. Manila is open to offering zero tariffs on some U.S. goods to strike a deal with Trump, finance chief Ralph Recto told local journalists. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hinted that a trade agreement with the Philippines was in the works. 'Perhaps this will be a topic of discussion,' she told reporters Monday when asked about tariff negotiations. The White House said Trump will discuss with Marcos the shared commitment to upholding a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific. Before a meeting with Marcos at the Pentagon, Hegseth reiterated America's commitment to 'achieving peace through strength' in the region. 'Our storied alliance has never been stronger or more essential than it is today, and together we remain committed to the mutual defense treaty,' Hegseth said Monday. 'And this pact extends to armed attacks on our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels, including our Coast Guard anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.' Marcos, whose country is one of the oldest U.S. treaty allies in the Pacific region, told Hegseth that the assurance to come to each other's mutual defense 'continues to be the cornerstone of that relationship, especially when it comes to defense and security cooperation.' He said the cooperation has deepened since Hegseth's March visit to Manila, including joint exercises and U.S. support in modernizing the Philippines' armed forces. Marcos thanked the U.S. for support 'that we need in the face of the threats that we, our country, is facing.' China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been involved in long-unresolved territorial conflicts in the South China Sea, a busy shipping passage for global trade. The Chinese coast guard has repeatedly used water cannon to hit Filipino boats in the South China Sea. China accused those vessels of entering the waters illegally or encroaching on its territory. Hegseth told a security forum in Singapore in May that China poses a threat and the U.S. is 'reorienting toward deterring aggression by Communist China.' During Marcos' meeting Monday with Rubio, the two reaffirmed the alliance 'to maintain peace and stability' in the region and discussed closer economic ties, including boosting supply chains, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. The U.S. has endeavored to keep communication open with Beijing. Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met this month on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They agreed to explore 'areas of potential cooperation' and stressed the importance of managing differences. ___
Associated Press
4 minutes ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Trump and Philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and China at the White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday at the White House, as the two countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. Marcos, who met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, is set to become the first Southeast Asian leader to hold talks with Trump in his second term. Marcos' three-day visit shows the importance of the alliance between the treaty partners at a time when China is increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have clashed over the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal. Washington sees Beijing, the world's No. 2 economy, as its biggest competitor, and consecutive presidential administrations have sought to shift U.S. military and economic focus to the Asia-Pacific in a bid to counter China. Trump, like others before him, has been distracted by efforts to broker peace in a range of conflicts, from Ukraine to Gaza. Tariffs also are expected to be on the agenda. Trump has threatened to impose 20% tariffs on Filipino goods on Aug. 1 unless the two sides can strike a deal. 'I intend to convey to President Trump and his Cabinet officials that the Philippines is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that will ensure strong, mutually beneficial and future-oriented collaborations that only the United States and the Philippines will be able to take advantage of,' Marcos said Sunday when he was departing for Washington, according to his office. Manila is open to offering zero tariffs on some U.S. goods to strike a deal with Trump, finance chief Ralph Recto told local journalists. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hinted that a trade agreement with the Philippines was in the works. 'Perhaps this will be a topic of discussion,' she told reporters Monday when asked about tariff negotiations. The White House said Trump will discuss with Marcos the shared commitment to upholding a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific. Before a meeting with Marcos at the Pentagon, Hegseth reiterated America's commitment to 'achieving peace through strength' in the region. 'Our storied alliance has never been stronger or more essential than it is today, and together we remain committed to the mutual defense treaty,' Hegseth said Monday. 'And this pact extends to armed attacks on our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels, including our Coast Guard anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.' Marcos, whose country is one of the oldest U.S. treaty allies in the Pacific region, told Hegseth that the assurance to come to each other's mutual defense 'continues to be the cornerstone of that relationship, especially when it comes to defense and security cooperation.' He said the cooperation has deepened since Hegseth's March visit to Manila, including joint exercises and U.S. support in modernizing the Philippines' armed forces. Marcos thanked the U.S. for support 'that we need in the face of the threats that we, our country, is facing.' China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been involved in long-unresolved territorial conflicts in the South China Sea, a busy shipping passage for global trade. The Chinese coast guard has repeatedly used water cannon to hit Filipino boats in the South China Sea. China accused those vessels of entering the waters illegally or encroaching on its territory. Hegseth told a security forum in Singapore in May that China poses a threat and the U.S. is 'reorienting toward deterring aggression by Communist China.' During Marcos' meeting Monday with Rubio, the two reaffirmed the alliance 'to maintain peace and stability' in the region and discussed closer economic ties, including boosting supply chains, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. The U.S. has endeavored to keep communication open with Beijing. Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met this month on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They agreed to explore 'areas of potential cooperation' and stressed the importance of managing differences. ___ Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
Al Arabiya
4 minutes ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Trump and philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and china at the white house
President Donald Trump plans to host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday at the White House as the two countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. Marcos, who met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, is set to become the first Southeast Asian leader to hold talks with Trump in his second term. Marcos' three-day visit shows the importance of the alliance between the treaty partners at a time when China is increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have clashed over the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal. Washington sees Beijing, the world's No. 2 economy, as its biggest competitor, and consecutive presidential administrations have sought to shift US military and economic focus to the Asia-Pacific in a bid to counter China. Trump, like others before him, has been distracted by efforts to broker peace in a range of conflicts from Ukraine to Gaza. Tariffs also are expected to be on the agenda. Trump has threatened to impose 20 percent tariffs on Filipino goods on Aug. 1 unless the two sides can strike a deal. 'I intend to convey to President Trump and his Cabinet officials that the Philippines is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that will ensure strong, mutually beneficial, and future-oriented collaborations that only the United States and the Philippines will be able to take advantage of,' Marcos said Sunday when he was departing for Washington, according to his office. Manila is open to offering zero tariffs on some US goods to strike a deal with Trump, finance chief Ralph Recto told local journalists. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hinted that a trade agreement with the Philippines was in the works. 'Perhaps this will be a topic of discussion,' she told reporters Monday when asked about tariff negotiations. The White House said Trump will discuss with Marcos the shared commitment to upholding a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific. Before a meeting with Marcos at the Pentagon, Hegseth reiterated America's commitment to achieving peace through strength in the region. 'Our storied alliance has never been stronger or more essential than it is today, and together we remain committed to the mutual defense treaty,' Hegseth said Monday. 'And this pact extends to armed attacks on our armed forces, aircraft, or public vessels, including our Coast Guard, anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.' Marcos, whose country is one of the oldest US treaty allies in the Pacific region, told Hegseth that the assurance to come to each other's mutual defense continues to be the cornerstone of that relationship, especially when it comes to defense and security cooperation. He said the cooperation has deepened since Hegseth's March visit to Manila, including joint exercises and US support in modernizing the Philippines' armed forces. Marcos thanked the US for support 'that we need in the face of the threats that our country is facing.' China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have been involved in long-unresolved territorial conflicts in the South China Sea, a busy shipping passage for global trade. The Chinese coast guard has repeatedly used water cannon to hit Filipino boats in the South China Sea. China accused those vessels of entering the waters illegally or encroaching on its territory. Hegseth told a security forum in Singapore in May that China poses a threat and the US is reorienting toward deterring aggression by Communist China. During Marcos' meeting Monday with Rubio, the two reaffirmed the alliance to maintain peace and stability in the region and discussed closer economic ties, including boosting supply chains, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. The US has endeavored to keep communication open with Beijing. Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met this month on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They agreed to explore areas of potential cooperation and stressed the importance of managing differences.
Bloomberg
7 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Marcos Heads to White House With Some Washington Momentum
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. heralded deeper ties with the US after meeting top officials in Washington. The test of whether that's true will come on Tuesday when President Donald Trump welcomes him to the White House. That Oval Office encounter will take place after visits by several foreign leaders eager to make deals before the US-imposed Aug. 1 tariff deadline. On Monday, Marcos went to both the Pentagon and State Department as his government tries to slash pending 20% tariffs and bolster the bilateral security and investment relationship between the two allies.
Khaleej Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Philippines' President Marcos to meet Trump hoping to secure trade deal
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet US President Donald Trump this week, hoping Manila's status as a key Asian ally will secure a more favorable trade deal before an August 1 deadline. Marcos will be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term. Trump has already struck trade deals with two of Manila's regional partners, Vietnam and Indonesia, driving tough bargains in trade talks even with close allies that Washington needs to keep onside in its strategic rivalry with China. "I expect our discussions to focus on security and defense, of course, but also on trade," Marcos said in a speech before leaving Manila. "We will see how much progress we can make when it comes to the negotiations with the United States concerning the changes that we would like to institute to alleviate the effects of a very severe tariff schedule on the Philippines." The United States had a deficit of nearly $5 billion with the Philippines last year on bilateral goods trade of $23.5 billion. Trump this month raised the threatened "reciprocal" tariffs on imports from the Philippines to 20 per cent from 17 per cent threatened in April. Although US allies in Asia such as Japan and South Korea have yet to strike trade deals with Trump, Gregory Poling, a Southeast Asia expert at Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said Marcos might be able to do better than Vietnam, with its agreement of a 20 per cent baseline tariff on its goods, and Indonesia at 19 per cent. "I wouldn't be surprised to see an announcement of a deal with the Philippines at a lower rate than those two," Poling said. Marcos, who arrived in Washington on Sunday, went to the Pentagon on Monday morning for talks with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and will see Secretary of State Marco Rubio later in the day, before meeting Trump at the White House on Tuesday. He will also meet US business leaders investing in the Philippines. 'Mutually beneficial' deal Philippine officials say Marcos' focus will be on economic cooperation and Manila's concerns about the tariffs. They say he will stress that Manila must become economically stronger if it is to serve as a truly robust US partner in the Indo-Pacific. Philippine Assistant Foreign Secretary Raquel Solano said last week trade officials have been working with US counterparts seeking to seal a "mutually acceptable and mutually beneficial" deal for both countries. Trump and Marcos will also discuss defense and security, and Solano said the Philippine president would be looking to further strengthen the longstanding defense alliance. Philippine media quoted Manila's ambassador to Washington, Jose Manuel Romualdez, as saying on Sunday that the visit would see a reaffirmation of the seven-decade-old mutual defense treaty and "discussions on how we can continue to cooperate with the United States, our major ally". With the Philippines facing intense pressure from China in the contested South China Sea, Marcos has pivoted closer to the US, expanding access to Philippine military bases amid China's threats towards Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by Beijing. The United States and the Philippines hold dozens of annual exercises, which have included training with the US Typhon missile system, and more recently with the NMESIS anti-ship missile system, angering China. Manila and the US have closely aligned their views on China, Poling said, and it was notable that Rubio and Hegseth made sure their Philippine counterparts were the first Southeast Asian officials they met. Poling said Trump also seemed to have a certain warmth towards Marcos, based on their phone call after Trump's reelection.
