US Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the Philippines in November to “reaffirm and strengthen” bilateral ties between the two countries, the White House said on Saturday (Manila time). READ:
Harris will first go to Thailand for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting on November 18-19 in Bangkok before heading to Manila.
The United States is hoping for a smooth relationship with President Marcos after rough patches with his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.Mr. Marcos earlier scrapped a deal to buy military helicopters from Russia, the target of a US pressure campaign over its invasion of Ukraine, and has instead sealed a deal with the United States.
Harris will represent US President Joe Biden in the APEC meeting in Bangkok as the latter has to attend his granddaughter’s wedding. Biden will likely have a chance to visit Thailand in 2023 when the kingdom takes over from Cambodia as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations , which leads the annual East Asia Summit.