What to watch as Biden meets Marcos in Washington amid elevated China tensions

MANILA – US President Joe Biden and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr were set to meet on Monday to strengthen one of the oldest alliances in the region that was threatened by a pivot to China under the latter’s predecessor.

Mr Marcos’ first White House visit since he took power in 2022 is expected to lead to broader economic partnerships and even greater defence ties between the two nations. This comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions with China over contested waters, and more recently over Taiwan.

In pre-departure remarks on Sunday, Mr Marcos said he was “determined to forge an even stronger relationship” with the US, as well as “push for greater economic engagement” between the two countries.

Mr Marcos, who met Mr Biden in the US last September

on the sidelines of a United Nations General Assembly, said then that he could not envision his country without America as a partner. This set in motion a restoration of the nations’ ties that had been undermined by former president Rodrigo Duterte’s shift towards China.

The leaders’ meeting comes as the US accused China at the weekend of harassing Philippine ship

s after a near collision in the South China Sea days ago,

while Washington and Manila conducted their

biggest joint defence drills. 

Here are the items to watch during Mr Marcos’ official US visit:

Defence

US-Philippine defence ties are expected to be high on the agenda, with Mr Marcos hoping to discuss with Mr Biden how military agreements can “evolve”. The two nations are bound by a 71-year-old mutual defence treaty, to which Mr Biden earlier said the US has an “iron-clad” commitment.

“We will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our longstanding alliance as an instrument of peace and as a catalyst of development in the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world,” Mr Marcos said Sunday.

The presidents are also expected to highlight the expansion in February of US access to Philippine military sites, including areas near Taiwan and the South China Sea – a move criticised by Beijing. America’s pledge of more than US$100 million (S$133 million) this year for these sites and another US$100 million for helicopters are likely up for discussions.

“The US-Philippines alliance under Marcos is in excellent shape, with the two nations operating in lockstep on the core security challenge of dealing with China,” said Mr Derek Grossman, a senior defence analyst at California-based research group Rand Corporation.

Economic cooperation

Mr Biden and Mr Marcos are also expected to “review opportunities to deepen economic cooperation”, the White House said. The US is the Philippines’ second-largest export market in 2022, next to China.

Manila is pushing for a bilateral free trade agreement with Washington, as well as the removal of import duties. The US, for its part, wants to secure the Philippines’ support for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, a deal to counter China’s influence in the region.

“If the Biden administration is serious about forging closer ties with the Philippines, the relationship should go beyond the military hardware,” said Dr Elaine Tolentino from the De La Salle University’s international studies department in Manila.

Clean energy, climate change

Semiconductors, clean energy, food and energy security and climate change are other areas of focus in the US visit, Mr Marcos said on Sunday.

The Philippine leader is seeking to attract investors in renewables, as his nation targets a 75 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris last

November announced plans to hold talks with the Philippines

on a civil nuclear-energy agreement. Washington has also pledged to support the growth of the offshore wind market and the development of nickel and cobalt facilities in the South-east Asian nation. BLOOMBERG