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Foreign Pool Report #1: Background on President Marcos' Visit

From
Bingru Wang
Sent
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 9:09 AM

Good morning, Mabuhay,

I’m your foreign pooler for today’s official visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Republic of the Philippines to the White House.

President Marcos Jr. is the first head of state from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to visit the White House during President Trump’s second term. As ASEAN chair in 2026, President Marcos Jr. is expected to invite President Trump to attend the East Asia Summit, according to Philippine Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Raquel Solano.

This visit also comes as the United States and the Philippines prepare to mark two major milestones next year: 80 years of diplomatic relations and 75 years of formal alliance.

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Agenda

The Philippine Embassy told your pooler that today’s meeting will focus on strengthening U.S.-Philippines economic and defense cooperation.

Before his departure, President Marcos Jr. told the media: “During this visit, we will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our long-standing alliances as an instrument of peace and a catalyst of development in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world. My top priority for this visit is to push for greater economic engagement, particularly through trade and investment between the Philippines and the United States.

I intend to convey to President Trump and his Cabinet officials that the Philippines is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that will ensure strong, mutually beneficial and future-oriented collaborations that only the United States and the Philippines will be able to take advantage of.”

📄

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Trade and Tariffs

On July 18, 2025, President Trump sent a letter to President Marcos Jr. announcing a 20% tariff on goods imported from the Philippines—a hike from the 17% announced earlier in April.

Last week, a delegation of Philippine trade officials arrived in Washington, D.C., to negotiate a bilateral or reciprocal trade agreement that both sides view as mutually beneficial.

According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative:

  • In 2024, the U.S. goods trade deficit with the Philippines was $4.9 billion—a 21.8% increase from 2023.
  • Total goods trade between the two countries reached $23.5 billion.
  • U.S. goods exports to the Philippines totaled $9.3 billion, while imports reached $14.2 billion.

Top U.S. exports to the Philippines include: agricultural goods, machinery, cereals, and materials for semiconductor and transport equipment manufacturing.

Top Philippine exports to the U.S. include: semiconductor devices, computer peripherals, auto parts, electric machinery, garments, coconut oil, and IT/business process outsourcing services.

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Defense Cooperation

Security and regional stability remain top priorities. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that today's discussions will include enhancing maritime security and deepening military cooperation, particularly amid continued tensions in the South China Sea.

During his July 20 meeting at the Pentagon, President Marcos Jr. stated: “I believe that our alliance—between the United States and the Philippines—has played a vital role in preserving peace and maintaining stability in the South China Sea, and indeed across the entire Indo-Pacific region.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reaffirmed that the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) extends to armed attacks on either country’s armed forces, aircraft, or public vessels—including Coast Guard vessels—anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.

Ahead of today’s visit, the U.S. announced a new infrastructure project in Oyster Bay and Quezon, Palawan, where the U.S. Navy will help build maintenance and repair facilities for Philippine military ships. Palawan is a strategic location facing the South China Sea.

In March 2025, Secretary Hegseth made his first Indo-Pacific visit as defense chief, with Manila as his initial stop. He announced a four-part defense initiative based on the $500 million U.S. commitment to modernize the Philippine military. It includes:

  • Deployment of advanced U.S. military assets
  • Joint training for high-end operations
  • Bilateral defense industrial cooperation
  • A new U.S.-Philippines cybersecurity campaign

DFA officials say the two sides may also review the ongoing Balikatan joint military exercises and explore potential U.S. force posture enhancements in the region.

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Schedule

President Marcos Jr. is in Washington, D.C. from July 20–22, 2025:

  • July 20 (Afternoon): Arrival in Washington, D.C.
  • July 21: Separate meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
  • July 22 (Morning): Official visit to the White House, followed by a bilateral lunch
  • July 22 (Afternoon): Wrap-up press briefing with the Philippine media delegation before departing for Manila

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Previous Engagements

The Philippine Embassy confirmed to your pooler that President Marcos Jr. called President Trump to offer congratulations following his 2024 re-election victory. The two leaders also met briefly at Pope Francis’s funeral in the Vatican in April 2025.

Today marks President Marcos Jr.’s second official White House visit since taking office in June 2022. His first was on May 1, 2023.

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Bio

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., commonly known as “Bongbong” or BBM, is the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines, assuming office on June 30, 2022.

He was born on September 13, 1957, in Batac, Ilocos Norte. He is the son of Ferdinand E. Marcos, who ruled the Philippines for over two decades before being ousted during the People Power Revolution on February 25, 1986.

President Marcos made his first visit to the White House in 1982 during a state visit with his parents to President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan.

He attended La Salle Green Hills in the Philippines and Worth School in West Sussex, England, graduating in 1974. He earned a Special Diploma in Social Studies from Oxford University in 1978 and later enrolled in an MBA program at the Wharton School of Business, which he left in 1980 after being elected Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte.

The New York Times reported in 2023 that he enjoys watching Formula 1 racing and loves rock music, especially Eric Clapton and The Beatles.

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Bingru Wang

Senior Correspondent

Hong Kong Phoenix Satellite Television

Washington Bureau

101 Constitution Ave. NW Washington D.C.

Suite 920 E

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