Marcos in virtual meeting with U.S., Japan counterparts

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will have a virtual meeting with outgoing US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru on Sunday, 12 January.

In a message to reporters, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) acting Secretary Cesar Chavez confirmed that a meeting will take place.

“We can confirm that this is on the calendar of PBBM for 12 January, Sunday. They call this a trilateral phone call,” he said.

The White House said Biden will take the meeting during his trip to Rome, Italy this week.

In April 2024, the three countries held a trilateral summit in Washington, D.C. where they discussed security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

The relationship between the Philippines and the United States has remained strong under the Biden administration, especially in the areas of trade and defense.

In that first meeting, Biden assured that an attack on Philippine aircraft or ships would invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty, reiterating the US’ “ironclad” defense commitment to the Philippines.

Last year, the Philippines and China had multiple encounters in the disputed waters of the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea.

Philippine vessels have faced big Chinese Coast Guard ships while assisting resupply missions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

In December, the military forces of the Philippines, the US, and Japan conducted a “multilateral maritime cooperative activity” in the West Philippine Sea.

The drills took place in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, according to the US Indo-Pacific Command.