Trump welcomes Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House

Описание: (AP) President Donald Trump has welcomed Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House.

The two countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region.

Trump greeted Marcos outside the West Wing. Asked about his message for the Filipino people, Trump said "we love them" and "we respect their leader greatly."

The two presidents are expected to talk trade.

"I think we will" get a deal done, Trump said before they headed inside.

Marcos, who met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, is set to become the first Southeast Asian leader to hold talks with Trump in his second term.

Marcos' three-day visit shows the importance of the alliance between the treaty partners at a time when China is increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have clashed over the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal.

Courtesy: Associated Press

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