NextGen Day

The Philippines and the United States have a strong alliance, but Senator Imee Marcos reaffirmed that the Philippines would continue to engage with China. This is part of a seven-point plan that she hopes to advance through implementing confidence-building measures, joint development, and completing a code of conduct in the South China Sea.

On September 26, Marcos attended a roundtable discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.

Marcos reminded attendees from the US Institute for Peace, US-ASEAN Business Council, Center for a New American Security, and Asia Foundation, “Do not let us pick between the US and China.”

She claimed that to avoid relapsing into the “melodrama” of the Cold War, the Philippines and its neighbors in Southeast Asia advocate for a “rational approach” in relations between Washington and Beijing.

The seven-point plan for Philippine-US foreign policy that Marcos devised includes reexamining rather than revising the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and how the language of both agreements is to be implemented; evaluating the delivery of development aid under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA); and increasing military support for local defense contractors.

The MDT requires the US and the Philippines to resolve any international disputes “by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace, security, and justice are not endangered and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations,” according to the MDT.

In a recent meeting at the US Indo-Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., Department of National Defense Officer-in-Charge, and his American counterpart Lloyd Austin III talked about “improving interoperability” between the armed forces.

“Over more than 70 years, the US and the Philippines have been friends, partners, and allies. Our political, economic, and sociocultural relations have improved during that time, and our ties—including those between our defense establishments—have been stronger “In a prior statement, Faustino stated.

To “create a more upgraded, mutually useful, mutually agreed, and more effective and enduring arrangement on how to move forward in our mutual defense,” former President Rodrigo Duterte canceled the VFA in February 2020.

In July of last year, it was repaired.

The EDCA, signed in April 2014, forbids permanent basing but grants US forces access to some Philippine military sites, the right to expand facilities, and the ability to preposition equipment, aircraft, and ships.

Aside from military matters, Marcos’ foreign policy plan focuses on trade potential in deep-sea fishing, the manufacture, and sale of Philippine metals, and cooperation under the US CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) and Science Act of 2022.

The CHIPS and Science Act is primarily concerned with federal funding to promote the establishment of US microprocessor manufacturing plants.

Marcos also expressed gratitude to the US-Philippines Society and USAID for their ongoing support of disaster relief and recovery efforts.

She echoed some of the subjects covered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and US President Joe Biden during their conversation in New York two weeks ago when she urged professional exchanges, particularly among health care professionals, educators, and academics, for better training, a transfer of knowledge, and potential job creation.

Save/Share this story with QR CODE

---

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement of any specific technologies or methodologies and financial advice or endorsement of any specific products or services.

📩 Need to get in touch?

Feel free to Email Us for comments, suggestions, reviews, or anything else.

---

We appreciate your reading. 😊Simple Ways To Say Thanks & Support Us:
1.) ❤️GIVE A TIP. Send a small donation thru Paypal😊❤️
Your DONATION will be used to fund and maintain NEXTGENDAY.com
Subscribers in the Philippines can make donations to mobile number 0917 906 3081, thru GCash.
3.) 🛒 BUY or SIGN UP to our AFFILIATE PARTNERS.
4.) 👍 Give this news article a THUMBS UP, and Leave a Comment (at Least Five Words).

---

AFFILIATE PARTNERS

World Class Nutritional Supplements - Buy Highest Quality Products, Purest Most Healthy Ingredients, Direct to your Door! Up to 90% OFF.
Join LiveGood Today - A company created to satisfy the world's most demanding leaders and entrepreneurs, with the best compensation plan today.

---