Marcos hosts dinner for State Secretary Blinken and US delegation

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hosted an informal dinner for US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday evening, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

In his toast remarks, Marcos Jr. stressed the importance of the Philippines and US discussing global issues as he thanked Blinken for visiting Manila.

“We are all familiar with the situations that you are having to deal with the world and it is extremely encouraging for the Philippines that despite all of these extremely important issues that you have to attend to that you consider the Philippines important enough to take time from all global–globally important issues to come with us in the Philippines here today,” the President said.

“As with many meetings that we have with yourself, of these officials, our meetings always cover a great deal, great regard, wide scope and as again this happened in a quick chat that we just have and this is absolutely necessary. It is important that we continue to do that,” Marcos said.

Blinken arrived in Manila for an official visit amid the heightened tensions between the Philippines and China over territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea / South China Sea.

The US official earlier held talks with Marcos Jr. and his counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, where he said that keeping the South China Sea free and open is critical to the world, noting that China’s continuing cycle of aggressive actions in the strategic and busy waterway is a threat to global peace, security, and freedom of navigation.

The visit came ahead of the scheduled first trilateral summit of Marcos, US President Joe Biden and Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on April 11 in Washington D.C., which Blinken described as a “very important platform” for “greater stability and deepening” of cooperation on several fronts, including defense, security, trade and economy.—RF, GMA Integrated News