Top US diplomat Rubio to visit Philippines for ASEAN meetings, Marcos talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit the Philippines for ASEAN meetings to discuss regional security and strengthen the US-Philippines partnership. The visit comes amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea and recent diplomatic friction with China.
Why it matters
The visit underscores the US strategy to maintain influence in the Indo-Pacific region and support allies against Chinese territorial claims.
MANILA, Philippines - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Manila next week for a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led meetings, where he is expected to meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as Washington seeks to deepen its partnership with the Philippines amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott announced Friday, July 17, that Rubio will travel to the Philippines from July 19 to 23 to attend the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
Rubio will also meet with senior government officials from Indo-Pacific countries during the visit.
The Secretary's visit advances a clear U.S. priority: a free and open Indo-Pacific that delivers safety, security, and prosperity for the region and for the American people," Pigott said in a statement.
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