Global Courant 2023-05-01 18:56:06
WASHINGTON — President Biden will meet with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday. of the Philippines at the White House, a visit designed to send a message to China that the Philippine leader intends to deepen his country’s relationship with the United States.
Mr Marcos’ trip comes days after the US and Philippine militaries held joint exercises to curb China’s influence in the South China Sea and bolster the United States’ ability to defend Taiwan if China invades. The exercises were part of a rapid and intensified effort between the two countries: In February, the Pentagon announced that the US military would expand its presence in the Philippines.
The trip is the Biden administration’s latest effort to strengthen its relations with key Asian allies as tensions with China rise. Mr Biden welcomed South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit last week, with talks largely focused on deterring North Korea’s missile program, whose leader has been given more courage by a supportive China.
The strategic importance of the Philippines is a matter of proximity. The northernmost island of Itbayat is less than 100 miles from Taiwan, and a larger US military presence could allow rapid troop response in a war with China. For the United States, Mr. Marcos an eager but untested partner.
Mr. Biden and his advisers have focused since his inauguration last year on cultivating Mr. Marcos — whose name is Bongbong, who is the son and namesake of former dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos — as a regional ally. Marcos is eager to mend ties between his government and the United States, which deteriorated under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s leadership, especially during his brutal anti-drug campaign. Mr. Marcos won the election last year by forming an alliance with Mr. Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte.
U.S. officials hope the fragile Marcos-Duterte agreement is strong enough to withstand pressure at home, as well as from Beijing, which has warned the Philippine government to “resolve issues related to Taiwan and the South China Sea” to do it the right way”. The response, last week, was the largest ever joint exercise between the United States and the Philippines.
“During this visit, we will reaffirm our commitment to nurturing our long-standing alliance as an instrument of peace and a catalyst of development in the Asia-Pacific region, and for that matter to the rest of the world,” Mr. Marcos said before departing for the four-day trip to Washington. His visit is a first for a Philippine leader in more than a decade.
As a senator and a member of the foreign relations committee, Mr. Biden was among lawmakers who criticized President Ronald Reagan’s deep support for Mr. Marcos’ father, who ruled the Philippines for 20 years and declared martial law before a revolt led to his deposition. in 1986. Mr. Biden is now trying to build an alliance with the younger Mr. Marcos.
“We can do a lot together,” Biden told him at a rally last fall. “I’m desperately interested in making sure we do that.”
Biden meets Marcos in Washington as tensions rise
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