United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III are set to visit the Philippines by the end of the month, the US Department of State announced yesterday.

In a press statement, Matthew Miller, the department spokesperson, said Blinken and Austin will be visiting Manila on 30 July for the fourth Philippine-US foreign and defense ministerial dialogue.

The two officials will meet with their Filipino counterparts, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., respectively.

“The officials will reaffirm our nations’ shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region and support for international law,” the State department said.

“They will discuss ways to deepen coordination on shared challenges, including in the South China Sea, and advance our bilateral economic agenda,” it added.

During their visit, the department said that Secretaries Blinken and Austin will also meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to “explore additional ways to capitalize on the unprecedented momentum in the United States-Philippines alliance.”

For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the four secretaries are expected to discuss how to further enhance our two countries’ ironclad commitment to this alliance while enabling a common program in support of the rules-based international order, enhanced economic ties, broad-based prosperity, and solutions to evolving regional and global security challenges.