PBBM, US VP Harris meet on ASEAN Summit sidelines

JAKARTA—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and US Vice President Kamala Harris met Wednesday night for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit here.

On Twitter, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez shared photos of Mr. Marcos and Harris conversing.

Also in the pictures were Romualdez and the President’s son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, the senior deputy majority leader in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Marcos and Harris were at the ASEAN-US Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the White House, the meeting would build on US President Joe Biden and Harris’ bilateral meetings with Marcos in Washington last May and the Vice President’s visit to the Philippines in November

2022.

“The two leaders discussed the maritime security environment in the South China Sea, and reviewed opportunities to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation, including alongside like-minded partners,” the

readout said.

Mr. Marcos and Harris welcomed the identification of four additional sites in the Philippines that US forces may access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

“President Marcos and the Vice President also discussed opportunities to bolster bilateral economic cooperation and enhance economic resilience,” the statement said.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington DC Jose Manuel Romualdez on Tuesday said that the US and Japan were seeking a trilateral meeting with Marcos on the sidelines of the summit.

Mr. Marcos and Harris are set to leave Indonesia on Thursday. At the ASEAN-US Summit, the President said the US was an “indispensable partner” of the ASEAN.

He hoped that deeper ties with the superpower would help the Southeast Asian bloc’s pursuit of lasting peace.

“The US has always been an ally and an indispensable partner of ASEAN,” Mr. Marcos said during his intervention at the 11th ASEAN-US Summit.

“As we forge closer and deeper relationships in the coming years, we hope to continue working together towards a region that enjoys lasting peace, security, stability, and resilience,” he added.

The US was “more than just a longstanding, close, and reliable friend and ally of the Philippines,” Mr. Marcos added.

He said the US was ”undeniably ASEAN’s partner in achieving our collective goals and aspirations as nations, both on the domestic and international fronts.”

Marcos welcomed US support for ASEAN centrality and the principles of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). He said this envisioned a free and open Indo-Pacific that is more connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient.

Marcos also commended the US leadership for their efforts to craft the joint statement with Japan and South Korea, dubbed ”The Spirit of Camp David.”

The statement opposed unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific and the militarization of reclaimed features in the South China Sea.

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