(Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos on May 1 at the White House to discuss deepening economic cooperation and the Indo-Pacific, a White House spokesperson said on Thursday.
The two leaders will also discuss further economic cooperation, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
“During the visit, President Biden will reaffirm the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines, and the leaders will discuss efforts to strengthen the longstanding U.S.-Philippines alliance,” the statement said.
The Philippines this month identified four more military bases that the U.S. may access amid shared concerns about China’s growing might.
China’s ambassador to Manila last week accused the Philippines of “stoking the fire” of regional tensions by offering the expanded base access to the U.S.
(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Costas Pitas and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles)
