Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is set to meet US President Trump, prioritizing trade negotiations ahead of the impending 20 percent tariffs on Philippine goods. This meeting positions Marcos first among Southeast Asian leaders during Trump's term. The US faced a nearly $5bn trade deficit with the Philippines last year, intensifying the urgency of the talks. Marcos expressed hopes for favorable changes in tariff schedules and mentioned discussions will also touch on security and defense. Experts suggest Marcos may secure better terms than those reached by Vietnam and Indonesia.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will meet United States President Donald Trump this week, hoping Manila's status as a key Asian ally will secure a more favourable trade deal.
I expect our discussions to focus on security and defence, of course, but also on trade, Marcos said in a speech before leaving Manila.
We will see how much progress we can make when it comes to the negotiations with the United States concerning the changes that we would like to institute to alleviate the effects of a very severe tariff schedule on the Philippines.
Gregory Poling, a Southeast Asia expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Marcos might be able to do better than Vietnam.
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