As stated by Spokesperson Matthew Miller:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, III, met today with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., in Manila, the Philippines. Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, and President Marcos discussed the momentum in United States-Philippines relations over the past year and reaffirmed the critical role of the U.S.-Philippines Alliance in realizing our shared vision of a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, and President Marcos further discussed their shared commitment to upholding international law in the South China Sea. The two secretaries underscored the United States' ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty.
Secretary Blinken recounted advances in our economic relations, to include the entry into force of the United States and the Philippines' Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (or "123 Agreement"), over $1 billion in investment pledges from the U.S. Presidential Trade and Investment Mission in March 2024, the launch of the Luzon Economic Corridor under the PGI-IPEF Investment Accelerator with Japan, the first United States-Philippines Cyber-Digital Dialogue, and the successful co-hosting of the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Manila. The Secretary reaffirmed the United States' commitment to advance shared economic priorities on semiconductors, clean energy, cybersecurity and the digital economy, and high-quality infrastructure.
