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.
He added that Rubio’s trip will demonstrate the “tangible results” of the US-ASEAN partnership and further deepen the United States’ comprehensive partnership with the Philippines.
The Philippines, which holds the ASEAN chairmanship this year, is hosting the ministerial meetings in Manila.
The West Philippine Sea is expected to be among the key issues during the meetings as tensions between Manila and Beijing persist despite the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing continues to reject.
The meetings come just days after Manila and Beijing exchanged fresh criticisms following the 10th anniversary of the arbitral ruling. On July 12, the Philippines and 13 partner countries, including the United States and Japan, issued a joint statement affirming the award as legally binding. China rejected the statement, calling it a “distortion of the facts” intended to vilify Beijing.
The meetings also come as the renewed conflict involving Iran raises concerns over global energy security, with Asian economies closely monitoring possible disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for oil exports.
According to the International Energy Agency, about 80% of the hydrocarbons transported through the strategic waterway are bound for Asian countries.
During the ASEAN Summit in Cebu in May, Marcos said ASEAN leaders discussed establishing a regional fuel reserve to help cushion member states from possible supply disruptions caused by global conflicts.