President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed optimism that the Philippines will continue to strengthen its economic, diplomatic, and defense ties with the United States under the leadership of President-elect Donald Trump.
During a telephone call on Tuesday with outgoing U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Marcos highlighted the significant strides made in bilateral relations between the two nations.
“As typical with the relationship between the Philippines and the U.S., it’s on every level, in every facet: on the economic level, on the diplomatic level, and defense and security,” Marcos said.
“And the progress that we have made is terribly encouraging and we just hope to build on that and continue to work on what we have begun and continue to stand for our shared values and the rule of international law,” he added.
Harris, in turn, noted that there is “bipartisan support” in the U.S. Congress and among Washington officials for strengthening ties with the Philippines, particularly in areas of security, economic prosperity, and people-to-people connections. She also emphasized the importance of the U.S.’s unwavering support for the Philippines.
“Indeed, and I will tell you from my first visit to Manila and our first conversation, it is extremely important to me and to the United States that we reaffirm the commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including the South China Sea,” Harris told Marcos.
Marcos thanked Harris for her ongoing support, acknowledging the robust and productive partnership the two countries have maintained under outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden.
“Before I came to this call, I was going through all of the things that we had discussed in the past couple of years. And it is remarkable how much work we have been able to do and how much it has progressed and developed the relationship between our two countries,” Marcos said.
He also recalled a conversation with Biden prior to the signing of a trilateral agreement in Washington, stating, “I said to President Biden that this will change the dynamic of the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific, and it certainly has done that.”
Harris echoed the importance of the trilateral collaboration, calling it a key strategy to enhance economic ties, secure supply chains, and promote regional security.
Marcos and Harris have met multiple times, including during Harris’ visit to Manila in November 2022 and at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco in November 2023. Marcos commended Harris for her significant contributions to strengthening Philippine-U.S. ties and invited her to visit the Philippines again.
The U.S. has been the Philippines’ oldest and only treaty ally since the two established diplomatic relations on July 4, 1946. The Philippine-U.S. security partnership is anchored in the Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement, and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. In 2023, the U.S. was the Philippines’ third-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at nearly $20 billion.