U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House on Tuesday, announcing that the two countries were nearing completion of a significant trade agreement.
“We’re going to discuss trade today, and we’re very close to finalising a major deal,” Trump told reporters as the meeting began.
Marcos is the first Southeast Asian leader to visit Trump during his second term. The U.S. president has already secured trade agreements with Vietnam and Indonesia- key regional allies but has adopted a firm stance even with long-standing partners, amid intensifying strategic competition with China.
Last year, the United States recorded a nearly $5 billion trade deficit with the Philippines out of $23.5 billion in bilateral goods trade. Earlier this month, Trump increased proposed tariffs on Philippine imports from 17% to 20%, describing them as “reciprocal” measures.
Trump noted the scale of trade between the two countries, expressing surprise at what he described as “very big numbers” that he believes will increase further once a trade deal is signed.
Gregory Poling, a Southeast Asia analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, suggested that Marcos may secure more favourable terms than those agreed by Vietnam (20% baseline tariff) and Indonesia (19%).
Trump also highlighted the strength of the U.S.-Philippine defence partnership, saying, “They’re a militarily important nation, and we’ve conducted some excellent joint exercises recently.”
Marcos, who arrived in Washington on Sunday, held talks at the Pentagon with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday and later met Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He is also scheduled to meet with American business leaders interested in investing in the Philippines.
According to Philippine officials, Marcos intends to emphasise that economic resilience is essential for the country to play a meaningful role as a U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific region.
Assistant Foreign Secretary Raquel Solano stated last week that Philippine trade negotiators have been working closely with U.S. counterparts to reach a “mutually acceptable and beneficial” agreement.
Georgia’s busiest sea gateway has reached its capacity limit, adding urgency to plans for a major expansion of Poti port as the country seeks...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, ...
Saudi Arabia’s outbound travel market could surge from around $35 billion to more than $60 billion by 2030-2034, driven by a young generation...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Eight Muslim-majority countries have launched a joint push for wider international action against trade linked to Israeli settlements, seeking to build momentum from new measures announced by the UK and other Western governments.
Saudi Arabia is facing a problem that goes beyond the latest Houthi attacks on its southern oil facilities. The kingdom is now dealing with pressure on energy exports at the Strait of Hormuz to the east and the Red Sea route to the west.
Two Azerbaijani sailors were killed on Wednesday when a foreign cargo ship they were travelling on was attacked by drones in the Black Sea, Baku's Foreign Ministry has said.
Iceland’s government plans to introduce legislation in February to permanently ban commercial whaling, potentially leaving Norway and Japan as the world’s only countries still allowing the practice.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment