Philippines seeks to protect US economic ties under Trump

THE Philippines is working on a “mutually beneficial” strategy to boost economic ties with the US under President-elect Donald Trump, Manila’s envoy to Washington said.

“Our interests are very much aligned,” Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Thursday (Nov 7) at his Washington office. “I am convinced and confident that there will be no major changes, especially on the defence side.”

“Definitely, the economic part of our relationship is where we really need to be watchful of,” Romualdez separately told foreign correspondents in Manila during an online briefing on Friday.

Manila plans to capitalise on strengthened defence ties to continue scoring economic benefits from Washington during Trump’s second term, according to the envoy. The Philippines is seeking to sustain the flow of infrastructure aid and investment pledges from the US that ramped up under Joe Biden, as Trump’s protectionist policies risk roiling the global economy.

“It’s a matter of being able to negotiate a level that we would both agree is good for our countries,” he said of Trump’s plan to impose steep tariffs on all US imports, especially those from China.

Among the US’ oldest allies in Asia and one of the region’s fast-growing economies, the Philippines is preparing to mount a campaign to convince the Trump administration to consider the South-east Asian nation as a supply chain partner as the superpower rebuilds its manufacturing sector, the envoy said.

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