MANILA — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday assured new Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr that relations between their two countries were extraordinary and said Washington was committed to their joint defense pact.
Marcos, meeting Blinken at the presidential palace in Manila, said the current geopolitical environment showed how important their ties were, and U.S. speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit highlighted how volatile the region was.
—Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Shri Navaratnam
