Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Monday, said the Philippine government is closely monitoring the developments in the upcoming presidential elections in the United States.

Like other countries, Manalo said the Philippine government is concerned about the outcome of the November election in the US, which will pit incumbent Joe Biden against Republican Donald Trump.

"Every country in the world is probably thinking of that, of course. The United States is a major, it's a treaty ally of the Philippines. So obviously, any differences or changes in US policy from existing policies would most likely have some kind of effect,” he said on the sidelines of an ASEAN-Australia summit in Melbourne.

Biden, who is seeking a reelection, is expected to face off against a familiar foe: Trump, his predecessor.

During Trump's presidency, the Philippines turned away from its traditional ally, the US, and developed closer ties with China.

For Manalo, the outcome of the US presidential elections is still vague.

"At this stage, it's fairly difficult to assess how it would happen, or what would happen but all I can say is we are, of course, carefully monitoring the election season in the United States, but I've had talks with many of my other colleagues from other countries, and I think everybody is doing the same,” he said.

"So certainly all eyes will be riveted on that election this year,” he added.

In an effort to rebuild Washington and Manila’s relations, Biden repeatedly assured the latter of its commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty amid Beijing’s growing aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

In the previous year, the Philippines and the United States reached an agreement to extend the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in the country with four new sites.

This decision was not welcomed by China, as it expressed concerns about the US’s “obvious intention” behind the locations of the additional military sites.

Of the four additional EDCA sites, three are situated in the northern part of the country, with the naval base at Cagayan's Santa Ana being about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Taiwan.

China considers Taiwan, an ally of the US, as part of its territory, to be retaken one day — by force, if necessary.