Philippines, U.S. in talks on holding ‘2-plus-2 meeting’ by March —envoy

January 20, 2023 - 9:59 AM
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U.S. President Joe Biden takes part in a bilateral meeting with Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. in New York, New York, U.S., September 22, 2022. (Reuters/Leah Millis)

The Philippines and the United States are in talks about potentially holding a “2-plus-2 meeting” of top diplomatic and defense officials by March, the Philippine ambassador to Washington said on Friday.

In a text message, Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed a Nikkei report citing sources on the discussions about holding the first such talks in seven years and said the agenda would include issues such as tension over the South China Sea and Taiwan.

—Reporting Karen Lema; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Christopher Cushing