President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. will be heading to the United States to meet his US counterpart President Joe Biden for a bilateral meeting this May 1, according to the White House.
In a press release, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that the two leaders will tackle economic cooperation between the two countries.
"The two leaders will review opportunities to deepen economic cooperation and promote inclusive prosperity, expand our nations’ special people-to-people ties, invest in the clean energy transition and the fight against climate change, and ensure respect for human rights," the statement read.
"The two leaders will also discuss regional matters and coordinate on efforts to uphold international law and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific," it added.
The bilateral meeting comes following the announcement of the four additional Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites early this month.
The four locations are the Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz, Isabela; and Balabac Island, Palawan.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian earlier advised the country to oppose Taiwan's independence and avoid stoking the fire by offering the United States access to military bases near the Taiwan Strait if it had a concern about the 150,000 Filipino workers employed in Taiwan.
However, he immediately clarified that his statement has been misquoted and misinterpreted.
Marcos and Biden met during the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September of last year.
