MANILA, Philippines – Less than a year since his last visit to Washington DC, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will return to the US capital for the first ever trilateral summit between the Philippines, the United States, and Japan next month.

A press release from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) released by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Tuesday, March 19, confirmed that Marcos will leave Manila on April 11.

There, he will hold talks with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“President Marcos will highlight trilateral cooperation as a natural progression of the Philippines’ historical and strong ties with these countries, thereby enhancing coordination and collaboration on common priority areas,” the press release read.

“Topics to be discussed will range from maritime cooperation to infrastructure development, economic resiliency, trade and investments, clean energy and the climate, as well as cyber security and the digital economy, among other matters,” the DFA added.

Biden will also host Marcos in the White House “for a meeting that will acknowledge the remarkable progress in Philippines-United States ties,” according to the DFA.

Manila and Tokyo are treaty-allies of Washington, and the summit is expected to raise Beijing’s eyebrows, on the heels of rising tensions in the South China Sea, and amid the complicated tug-of-war between the US and China.

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Marcos last visited Washington DC in May 2023 for an official visit, becoming the first Philippine president in over a decade to step inside the White House.

He also visited New York in September 2022, and California and Hawaii in November 2023, for a string of working visits. – Rappler.com