President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. holds a pull-aside meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris after the ASEAN-US Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on Wednesday (6 September 2023). Both leaders agreed to work together and with ASEAN members to foster trade and promote regional peace and progress. (Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications Office)
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit here as they discussed the security issues concerning the South China Sea.
In a statement released late Wednesday, the White House said that the meeting builds on talks that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Marcos had earlier this year in Washington.
"(Marcos and Harris) discussed opportunities to deepen commercial and economic cooperation, as well as their shared commitment to upholding the rules-based international order," the White House statement read.
The White House mentioned that Harris reassured the U.S.' "ironclad alliance" commitment to the Philippines and underscored the US-Philippines alliance's role in ensuring a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
The two leaders also discussed the maritime security environment in the South China Sea and reviewed opportunities to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation, including alongside like-minded partners.
Both Marcos and Harris welcomed the identification of four additional sites pursuant to the U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which will drive U.S. investment in local communities across the Philippines and improve our shared ability to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief rapidly.
"President Marcos and the Vice President also discussed opportunities to bolster bilateral economic cooperation and enhance economic resilience," the statement said.
Marcos Jr. will make his third state visit to the US this November to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco.
Earlier this week, the Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez, said that Marcos Jr. is expected to talk with several Silicon Valley companies while on his West Coast tour.
The President is expected to travel to Hawaii in order to interact with the Filipino community there. The President's family spent years living in exile in Hawaii after his father, the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was ousted from Malacañang.
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