MANILA: US President Donald Trump assured Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr that he would take up Manila’s concerns when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the South-East Asian nation said.
Trump gave the assurance during a phone call with Marcos on Thursday (July 23) evening, where they discussed the current global, economic and security situation, according to a statement from the Philippine president’s communications office.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for further details of the call.
The call was an offshoot of the meeting between Marcos and US State Secretary Marco Rubio Wednesday in Manila’s presidential palace, where the Philippine leader updated the US official on recent incidents in the South China Sea.
Trump is expected to meet Xi in the US around Sept 24, as the two superpowers seek to stabilize ties.
The South China Sea issue could however become a source of friction. The US is a treaty ally of the Philippines, which has been clashing with China this week as the two Asian countries assert their overlapping claims in disputed waters. - Bloomberg
