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1 1 (March 21, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govekza0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con res&on I Research Service drib in I Lii I tiv~ d a e ii 1914 Updated March 21, 2023 The Philippines Overview and Recent Developments The United States and the Republic of the Philippines maintain a deep relationship that includes a bilateral security alliance, extensive military cooperation, close people-to-people ties, and many shared strategic and economic interests. U.S. administration of the Philippines as a colonial territory (1898-1946), which followed 300 years of Spanish rule, shaped the relationship. Situated east of the South China Sea and south of Taiwan, the Philippines has long played an important role in U.S. Asia policy as a close security and counterterrorism partner. The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) requires the two countries to help defend each other against external armed attack; Biden Administration officials have stated that the MDT applies to armed third-party attacks against Philippine armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft in the disputed South China Sea. The Administration has also made revitalizing U.S. alliances in Asia-including with the Philippines-a key pillar of its Indo-Pacific Strategy. In September 2022, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. traveled to New York, where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly and later met with President Joseph Biden. The two leaders discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation on climate action, energy security, human rights, infrastructure, and security. In February 2023, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Carlito Galvez announced the expansion of a 2014 agreement that allows U.S. access to Philippine military facilities (see below). The United States is the Philippines' third-largest trading partner, after the People's Republic of China (PRC or China) and Japan, and its largest export market. The Philippines is 1 of 14 members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Initiative, which the Biden Administration launched in May 2022 to promote economic growth, fairness, competitiveness, and related objectives among allies and partners in the region. Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. assumed the office of President on June 30, 2022, having won more than 31 million of 55 million votes cast. Marcos is the son of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled the country from 1965 to 1986, including through martial law from 1972 until he was ousted by the 1986 People Power Revolution. Sara Duterte- Carpio, daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, won the Vice Presidency. The Philippine constitution limits both the President and Vice President, who are elected on separate tickets, to one six-year term. Foreign Relations The Philippines has long sought to balance its relations with the United States and China. Manila has relied on the U.S. alliance and security presence in the region, while seeking greater trade and investment from the PRC, despite numerous tensions between the Philippines and China. Unlike his predecessor, Marcos has reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Philippines alliance, even as he has also sought to maintain a stable relationship with China. Former President Rodrigo Duterte had expressed distrust in the United States and sought early in his term to strengthen ties with the PRC. However, Duterte's goal of garnering major investments from Beijing was largely unsuccessful, and the two countries made no significant progress toward resolving disputes. In January 2023, Marcos went to Beijing and met PRC leader Xi Jinping. The trip yielded PRC promises of loans, infrastructure assistance, and other investments. The two sides also agreed to resume talks on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea. According to reports, however, no breakthroughs on major issues in the bilateral relationship were achieved. In February 2023, Marcos visited Japan, where discussions focused in part on further strengthening security cooperation between the two countries, both of which could be directly affected by a potential military conflict between the PRC and Taiwan. The Philippines is the largest recipient of U.S. military assistance in the East Asia-Pacific region, including Foreign Military Financing and assistance under the Department of Defense's (DOD's) Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative. U.S. military personnel and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hold regular military exercises and maritime patrols, collaborate on counterterrorism, and conduct joint humanitarian activities. In 2022, approximately 3,800 AFP and 5,100 U.S. soldiers participated in Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder), the premier annual bilateral exercise in the Philippines. The 2022 exercise focused on improving interoperability and joint defense capabilities and engaged in humanitarian and civic assistance projects. Figure 1. The Philippines at a Glance Sources: Map, CRS; Other information, Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2023.

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