MANILA – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the Philippines for the second time to discuss the “notable progress in bilateral ties” and the shared commitment to further strengthen the Philippines-United States alliance in pursuit of common interests.
This is according to a statement released by the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. after the official announcement as well by the Embassy of the United States in the Philippines, saying that Manila will be Secretary Blinken’s final stop after visiting Vienna, Austria and Seoul, South Korea from March 14-20, 2024.
According to the Philippine Embassy in the U.S., Secretary Blinken is scheduled to meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo from March 18-19, 2024 to discuss key issues such as the “broadening and deepening of cooperation in the economic sphere”, highlighting efforts to promote trade and investments, and to ensure the sustainability of economic resiliency as an essential component of national security.
The two secretaries are also anticipated to discuss overall bilateral cooperation in the context of regional issues.
The DFA added that Blinken’s visit will take place a few days after the successful visit of the U.S. Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines, led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
The trade mission earlier announced that the Philippines can expect USD 1 billion worth of investments from US companies during the visit, where a total of 22 American companies joined the high-level mission.
(Courtesy of Department of Foreign Affairs)
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department confirms that Blinken will be attending the United Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND) and will serve as Head of Delegation for the United States during the High-Level Segment.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that the Secretary will emphasize that illicitly manufactured synthetic drugs and their precursors are fueling a public health crisis that affects communities across the United States and around the globe.
The United States looks to secure concrete commitments from countries to take domestic, regional, and international action to address synthetic drugs and their precursors. While in Vienna, Secretary Blinken will also meet with senior Austrian officials, as well as International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi to discuss nuclear safety, security, and safeguards issues, Miller added.
In Seoul, Secretary Blinken will head the U.S. delegation to the third Summit for Democracy, hosted by the Republic of Korea, bringing together hundreds of leaders from governments, civil society, and the private sector committed to strengthening democratic governance, protecting human rights, and advancing the fight against corruption.
Miller said that “the Summit demonstrates how the United States and like-minded democracies organize to address the world’s most pressing challenges.”
He added that the U.S. will also highlight progress made since the last Summit for Democracy to counter the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware. The Secretary will also meet with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and other ROK officials.
In Manila, Secretary Blinken will meet with President Marcos, Jr., and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Manalo to advance shared economic priorities and underscore the United States’ ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Philippine alliance.
Secretary Blinken, President Marcos, and Secretary Manalo will discuss areas to deepen U.S.-Philippine cooperation on a range of bilateral and global issues, including on regional peace and stability, human rights and democracy, economic prosperity, health, clean energy, semiconductors, and the digital economy, Miller added.
