US Sec Blinken to visit PH March 18-19

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit the Philippines from March 18 to 19, his second official visit to Manila.

He is scheduled to meet with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

Discussions will highlight efforts to promote trade and investments and a common resolve to sustain economic resiliency as an essential component of national security.

Manalo and Blinken are expected to focus on clean and renewable energy development, semiconductors, and the digital economy, among others.

This visit comes less than a week after the US Presidential Trade and Investment Mission (PTIM) visited the Philippines from March 11 to 12, during which American companies announced over USD1 billion in new investments.

The Manila stop is the last in a series of trips for Blinken, which includes attending the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs' High-Level Segment in Vienna and the Summit for Democracy in South Korea.