Opening up for America to ship nuclear material, technology, and skills to the Philippines to assist it in decarbonizing and boosting energy independence under the fastest signed agreement on nuclear energy between the United States of America and another country — the Republic of the Philippines — is the single most significant achievement of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

"We see nuclear energy becoming a part of the Philippine energy mix by 2023, and we would be more than happy to pursue this path with the United States as one of our partners," said Marcos during the signing ceremony of the so-called 123 Agreement, calling the move "a major step" in enhancing bilateral ties.

President Marcos left for San Francisco, California on Tuesday night, 14 November, to participate in the 2023 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, Summit and visit Los Angeles and Honolulu in Hawaii.

"I bring with me your hopes and aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous Asia Pacific where we live," Marcos said in his departure speech on Tuesday.

"Our APEC work has been focused on prioritizing and securing beneficial trade and investments, quality and green jobs, and human development and poverty alleviation," he said.

But on his return, he brought back something far more important than anything in another field: the nuclear pact that would mark the advent of the nuclear age in the Philippines.

The nuclear pact symbolizes how US-Philippine relations have grown more robust in terms of security and along the economic, development, and infrastructure tracks since Marcos took office in June last year.

"Washington is hoping to strengthen the Philippines, in general, while showing Manila that relations with the US, especially regarding economic development, can be more fruitful than relations with China.

Marcos' latest US trip, his third as President, included his participation in an APEC leaders' summit in San Francisco, a stop in Los Angeles, and a visit on Monday to the US Indo-Pacific Command, where he was briefed on its support capabilities in the South China Sea, becoming the first Philippine president to visit the military facility in Honolulu.

Besides the nuclear pact, the two sides also announced a new partnership to diversify the global semiconductor value chain.

The Philippine leader, who secured $672 million in investment pledges in areas such as health care, climate change, and artificial intelligence, also visited the headquarters of SpaceX as he eyes using the company's Starlink satellites to improve his country's internet connectivity.

Since his election in May last year, Marcos has taken a more assertive stance on territorial disputes.

This year alone has seen several incidents, including last month's collision between a China Coast Guard vessel and a Philippine resupply boat near the Spratlys island chain.

To lower tensions, Marcos met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday's margins of the APEC summit. The two sides agreed that neither wanted war and that geopolitical issues should not define their relationship, with Marcos emphasizing the need to keep communicating.

Manila is keen on maintaining stable relations with its largest trading partner. However, it is still being determined whether either side would be willing to compromise on territorial disputes in exchange for improved trade relations.

US officials have repeatedly sought to reassure Marcos that the allies' 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty also applies to armed attacks on Philippine public vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea.

In a speech at a US think tank in Honolulu, Marcos reiterated his pledge not to give up "a single square inch" of Philippine territory to a foreign power, noting that his country would continue to upgrade its defense and law enforcement capabilities.