The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Manila with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. of the Philippines to reaffirm our ironclad Alliance and our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. They underscored the importance of upholding freedoms of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea and noted the recent tenth anniversary of the July 2016 Arbitral Award in the South China Sea, confirming that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea.
They also discussed advancing the Luzon Economic Corridor, most notably the Department of State’s commitment, working with Congress, to deliver over $100 million dollars of new foreign assistance to upgrade infrastructure and advance logistics and energy projects in Subic, as well as the upcoming inaugural Luzon Economic Corridor Investment Forum in September.
Secretary Rubio and President Marcos also discussed opportunities related to the Philippines’ membership in Pax Silica and hosting the initiative’s first Economic Security Zone in Clark. Secretary Rubio hailed the deployment of the Expeditionary Cutter Squadron that will operate from forward locations in Singapore and the Philippines to enhance maritime interoperability and support shared regional security objectives.
Through the five-year, jointly funded Health Strategic Objective Agreement, they also reaffirmed shared commitments to preventing the spread of infectious diseases, improving health outcomes, and building a more resilient and sustainable health system in the Philippines.
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