【Text by Observers Net, Xiong Chaoran】The tariff rates that the United States imposes on the Philippines have finally been "settled," but for Philippine President Marcos, who personally visited the White House to meet with US President Trump, it was quite embarrassing: the good news is that the tariff rate has decreased; the bad news is that it didn't decrease much. The United States made a token gesture, only 1%...

On July 22 local time, Trump, as his usual style, preemptively posted on social media that he met with visiting Philippine President Marcos at the White House that day, and that the US and the Philippines reached a trade agreement. Trump said that the US will impose a 19% tariff on the Philippines, while the Philippines will open its market to the US and implement zero tariffs. Notably, the content of this trade agreement announced by Trump has not yet been confirmed by the Philippine side. Marcos did not make any public comments about the agreement when leaving the White House, and neither the US nor the Philippines has released a joint statement from the leaders' meeting.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported on July 23 that ensuring a trade agreement favorable to the Philippines to protect its exports from an imminent economic blow was the top priority for Marcos's visit to the US, and he hoped to use the security relationship built over decades to obtain tariff reductions. However, after weeks of high-stakes negotiations, Trump's so-called "US-Philippines Trade Agreement" was merely a symbolic concession by the US.

Meanwhile, the public dialogue between Trump and Marcos on geopolitical issues also attracted media attention. Marcos claimed that the Philippines "does not need" to balance its relations with China and the US, and stated that his main concern was "defending our territory and exercising our sovereignty." While he touted the necessity of close cooperation with allies and warned that he would clearly convey his stance to "anyone trying to unilaterally change the international order," he also added flattery: "Our strongest partner has always been the US."

Video footage showed that although Marcos deliberately highlighted that the heightened tensions in the South China Sea were the key reason for deepening the US-Philippines defense cooperation, after his remarks, Trump immediately told him face-to-face that if the Philippines and China maintained friendly relations, he would not mind at all.

"I don't mind him (Marcos) getting along well with China, because we get along very well with China, our relationship is very good," Trump repeated: "We get along very well with China, he (Marcos) must do what is good for his country, make the Philippines great again, do whatever you need to do, but you dealing with China won't bother me at all."

Upon hearing Trump's words, Marcos looked somewhat embarrassed, but he seemed not to give up hope. In the latter half of the public dialogue with the media, he still claimed that the Philippines' military modernization efforts were a direct response to the situation around the South China Sea. He also believed that given the current regional security environment, closer engagement with the US and other partners was "necessary."

On July 22 local time, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiajun clearly stated that any cooperation between the US and the Philippines should not target a third party or harm the interests of a third party, and should not provoke confrontation or escalate regional tensions.

On July 22 local time, US President Trump met with Philippine President Marcos in the Oval Office of the White House. Visual China

According to reports, despite Trump's remarks about China, he also claimed that the Philippines had "turned to" China before he returned to the White House, and that the Philippines had "returned to the US side" after he was re-elected.

"I think I can say that the previous (Biden) administration had a poor relationship with them," Trump emphasized: "We maintain a good military relationship with the Philippines, and this relationship has been restored."

"This country may have once 'turned to' China, but we quickly reversed the situation... Since my election, everything has changed, and they have returned to our side," he claimed.

In the trade sector, in 2024, the US trade deficit with the Philippines expanded to 4.9 billion USD, an increase of 21.8% compared to 2023. On April 2, 2024, Trump threatened to impose a 17% so-called "reciprocal tariff" on the Philippines, but in a letter dated July 9, he again threatened that if the US and the Philippines failed to reach a trade agreement by August 1, the tariff would be increased to 20%.

On July 20 local time, Philippine President Marcos arrived in Washington, D.C., the capital of the US, to begin a three-day official visit and held bilateral talks with Trump.

The South China Morning Post reported that the top priority for Marcos's trip was to seek a trade agreement with the US, while strengthening the security alliance between Manila and Washington "to counter China." However, the report previously pointed out that the Philippines' hope of reaching such a "big deal" with the US was slim.

According to sources, the Philippines attempted to bundle security and trade issues into a broader strategic plan, but they faced resistance from the Trump administration, which was unwilling to combine these two aspects.

Earlier on July 22 local time, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House that the US and the Philippines were "very close" to reaching a "major trade agreement." He also said that he was "surprised" by the large volume of bilateral trade between the two countries and said, "Under our current actions and proposals, bilateral trade will further expand." Later, Trump announced the latest decision to impose a 19% tariff on the Philippines.

The South China Morning Post pointed out that since 1951, the Philippines has been a treaty ally of the US, and the two countries signed the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, pledging that if either side is attacked in the Pacific, the two countries will support each other.

Since the current Philippine President Marcos took office, tensions in the South China Sea have continued to escalate. The Philippines, thinking that it could rely on the US backing to frequently stir up trouble, led to multiple confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea in recent years. At the same time, under Marcos's leadership, the Philippines has continuously deepened its defense cooperation with the US, expanding the US military's access to Philippine military facilities, strengthening joint exercises, and increasing the frequency of US military rotations.

Sarang Shidore, director of the Global South Program at the Quincy Institute for National Affairs, a US think tank, said that the Philippines hopes to receive more favorable treatment than Vietnam and Indonesia, as they believe that the Philippines, as a US treaty ally, "has seen a significant policy shift under Marcos, leaning more toward Washington to counter Beijing."

Shidore said that the Marcos government "sees a clear connection between economic and security issues and hopes that the Trump administration will make significant concessions in trade and investment."

However, Shidore pointed out that the Trump administration "has completely separated trade and economic issues from the security relationships with almost all allies." "For Trump's second term, it can be said that he views trade as a greater security issue than military confrontation with Russia or China," Shidore said.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7530114158650556969/

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