President Bongbong Marcos hopes relations between the Philippines and the United States “continue to evolve,” as he welcomed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Malacañang on 6 August.
Blinken’s Manila visit comes amid rising tension following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s own visit to Taiwan which annoyed China.
Marcos told Blinken he “does not think” Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan “raised the intensity of the conflict,” but it only “demonstrated the intensity of the conflict” between China and the US.
“It actually has been at that level for a good while, but we got used to it and put it aside,” Marcos told the US official.
“But nonetheless, this just demonstrates how volatile the international diplomatic scene is not only in the region. The events in Ukraine have been significant surprisingly even to countries like the Philippines…”
Blinken described the relations between the US and the Philippines as “quite extraordinary,” noting it was “founded in friendship” and “forged in partnership.”
He added: “We’re also working as partners in many areas particularly economically, and of course, the alliance is strong and I believe, [it will become] stronger.”
Blinken arrived at Malacañang at 9 a.m. and proceeded to his meeting with Foreign Affairs Sec. Enrique Manalo.
Prior to Manila, Blinken first went to Cambodia.
His itinerary includes South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda.