PASAY CITY, Philippines – United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to Manila to accompany U.S. President Donald Trump for talks with their counterparts during the ASEAN Summit.
In a text message, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed the visit.
“Yes, as far as I know, Sec. Rubio will be coming,” Ambassador Romualdez said via text to DZRH.
According to reports, the US officials will arrive late Tuesday, November 17, and will meet their counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other Asian leaders.
Trump is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
“Of course, President Trump is coming, so there will definitely be a bilateral engagement between President Trump and President Marcos,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary and ASEAN Spokesperson Dominic Xavier Imperial said during a television interview.
This is Rubio’s second visit to Manila this year. Last July, he attended the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), an inclusive, 28-member, multilateral security dialogue platform in the Indo-Pacific established in 1994 to promote political and security cooperation.
Rubio indicated last month that the Quad leaders could meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, according to a report from Reuters.
Leaders of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India are expected to meet on Tuesday on the sidelines of a key Asian meeting in Manila, marking the first summit of the "Quad" nations in two years, the report added.
After a stop in Manila, Trump and Rubio will fly to Shenzhen, China for the APEC Summit that will be hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
