Manila-

Meetings between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine officials are planned to center on economic cooperation between the two countries and finding ways to maintain peace in the disputed South China Sea, according to a recent State Department briefing.

Brin is sure to arrive in Manila on Tuesday for a two-day visit aimed at reaffirming Washington’s commitment to the Philippines amid growing confrontation with China over the disputed South China Sea, which China claims nearly all of. Washington supports the position of its treaty ally the Philippines.

Blinken will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Tuesday in his second trip to the country since Marcos was elected in 2022.

Unlike his predecessor, Marcos sought a closer alliance with the United States and increased bilateral cooperation.

“Expanding and deepening cooperation in the economic field will be high on the agenda,” the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Blinken’s visit comes a week after the first U.S. presidential trade delegation, led by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, visited Manila, where she announced plans for U.S. companies to invest more than $1 billion in the Philippines.

A U.S. government spokesman said no major economic deals would be signed during Blinken’s visit.

For President Marcos, dealing with tensions in the South China Sea will be a priority at the meeting.

“As far as the Philippines is concerned, all these discussions are really about maintaining peace in the South China Sea,” Marcos said at a joint news conference with Czech President Peter Pavel last week.

The comments follow a recent high-seas confrontation between Manila and Beijing near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.

On March 5, Chinese coast guard ships and militia ships confronted Philippine supply ships. In the ensuing conflict, the Philippine ship was hit by Chinese water cannons, its windshield was shattered, and four Filipino sailors were injured.

While the two countries have engaged in cat-and-mouse games in the past, this is the first time an incident has resulted in injuries.

Marcos said this week’s meeting would be “focused on not winning any kind of conflict, but just on preserving peace and continuing to defend the Philippines’ sovereignty and sovereign rights.”

trilateral meeting

A trilateral meeting between Blinken, Manalo and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa was originally scheduled for this week but was ultimately canceled, according to officials in Manila. The leaders of the three countries are likely to hold a separate summit next month, which observers believe is aimed at building deterrence against China’s aggressive behavior in the region.

Discussions and preparations for an April meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Marcos are ongoing, a Philippine official said on condition of anonymity.

Japan and the Philippines are currently negotiating a reciprocal agreement that would allow the deployment of troops to each other’s territory, while Manila and Washington also have an existing visiting forces agreement.