00:00Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and U.S. President Donald Trump are set to hold their first bilateral meeting in Washington in the coming days.
00:09U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirms this after talks with his Philippine and Japanese counterparts at the ASEAN Foreign Minister's meeting earlier today.
00:19Manila said remains committed to negotiating a lower tariff rate after Trump raised it to 20% this week, up from the 17% threatened in April.
00:29Philippine trade officials are also expected to travel to Washington next week to pursue a deal.
00:35The U.S. goods trade deficit with the Philippines grew to US$4.9 billion in 2024, a 21.8% jump from the year before.
00:45Despite trade tensions, U.S.-Philippines relations remain strong under Marcos, who has deepened ties and expanded U.S. military access to Philippine bases.
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