WASHINGTON — President Biden will meet with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on the White House on Monday, a go to that’s meant to ship a message to China that the Filipino chief plans to deepen his nation’s relationship with the United States.
Mr. Marcos’s journey comes days after the U.S. and Philippine militaries held joint workout routines geared toward curbing China’s affect within the South China Sea and strengthening the United States’ capacity to defend Taiwan if China invades. The workout routines have been a part of a speedy and intensifying effort between the 2 international locations: In February, the Pentagon introduced that the U.S. army would develop its presence within the Philippines.
The journey is the Biden administration’s newest push to bolster its relationships with key Asian allies as tensions with China rise. Mr. Biden welcomed President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea for a state go to final week with discussions largely centered on deterring the missile program in North Korea, whose chief has grown extra emboldened by a supportive China.
The strategic significance of the Philippines is a matter of proximity. Its northernmost island of Itbayat is lower than 100 miles from Taiwan, and an elevated U.S. army presence might enable for a fast troop response in a conflict with China. For the United States, Mr. Marcos is an keen however untested companion.
Mr. Biden and his advisers have been specializing in cultivating Mr. Marcos — who goes by Bongbong and is the son and namesake of the previous dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos — as a regional ally since his inauguration final yr. Mr. Marcos is raring to restore the ties between his authorities and the United States, which frayed underneath former President Rodrigo Duterte’s management, significantly amid his brutal antidrug marketing campaign. Mr. Marcos received election final yr by forging an alliance with Mr. Duterte’s daughter Sara Duterte.
U.S. officers are hopeful that the delicate Marcos-Duterte accord is powerful sufficient to resist strain domestically but in addition from Beijing, which has warned the Filipino authorities to “properly handle issues” associated to Taiwan and the South China Sea. The response, final week, was the largest-ever joint drill between the United States and the Philippines.
“During this visit, we will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our longstanding alliance as an instrument of peace and as catalyst of development in the Asia-Pacific region, and for that matter for the rest of the world,” Mr. Marcos stated earlier than departing for the four-day journey to Washington. His go to is a primary for a Filipino chief in over a decade.
As a senator and a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. Biden was among the many lawmakers who criticized President Ronald Reagan’s deep assist for Mr. Marcos’s father, who dominated the Philippines for 20 years and declared martial regulation earlier than a revolt led to his ouster in 1986. Mr. Biden is now making an attempt to construct an alliance with the youthful Mr. Marcos.
“We can do a lot together,” Mr. Biden informed him throughout a gathering final fall. “I’m desperately interested in making sure we do.”
Source: www.nytimes.com