Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos delivers the annual State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Manila on July 22, 2024. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP)
Manila: Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos will visit the United States from July 20 to 22, Manila's department of foreign affairs said Friday, after the country was hit with trade tariffs of 20 percent imposed by Washington.
"We are working with the U.S. State Department to finalize the details of the visit," the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to the United States, told AFP Friday that Marcos is set to meet with US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss "defense and economic ties".
Manila and Washington have deepened their cooperation since Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing's South China Sea claims.
Bound by a 1951 mutual defence treaty, the two allies conduct frequent maritime exercises in the disputed waterway with Washington warning that it is committed to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces or vessels come under attack.
It will be the first official visit of Marcos to the United States since Trump took office.
