The President of the Philippines will travel to the U.S. amid negotiations over 20% tariffs.

Manila.- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will travel to the United States between July 20 and 22, the Asian country's Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday, a visit in which the president is expected to meet with his counterpart, Donald Trump, amid Manila's efforts to negotiate a 20% reduction in tariffs imposed by Washington.

"Marcos (Jr.) will visit the U.S. from July 20 to 22," the Philippine Foreign Ministry said in a statement, in which it avoided revealing details about the president's agenda, while Manila "works with the U.S. State Department to finalize the details."

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The confirmation from the Philippines comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated - during the ASEAN foreign ministers' summit in Kuala Lumpur - that Marcos Jr. would visit Washington "in the coming days." "We maintain an excellent relationship with Japan and the Philippines, and we collaborate closely with them on the economic corridor, maritime security, and territorial integrity. We continue to consolidate this partnership, and we look forward to welcoming the President of the Philippines to Washington in a few days," Rubio said. The visit will take place amid Manila's efforts to negotiate down the new tariffs on products from the Asian country announced by Trump last Wednesday, rates of 20% compared to the 17% initially stipulated. A delegation headed by the Secretary of Trade and Industry, Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, will travel to the U.S. next week. The goal of the Filipino officials is to obtain a bilateral economic agreement or a free trade agreement. The announcement of this 20% tariff, which was initially to take effect on August 1, opens the door for the U.S. to negotiate a new trade pact with one of its main defense partners in Southeast Asia. The Republican leader believes that these taxes "are necessary" to correct what he considers years of policies and tariff barriers that have caused the United States a trade deficit in their respective exchanges. Regardless of the tariffs imposed by Trump, the Philippines has strengthened its defense ties with the U.S. since Marcos Jr. came to power in 2022. The U.S. has access to nine military bases in the Asian country, thanks to an agreement established in 2014 and expanded in 2023, and in 1951 both countries signed a Mutual Defense Treaty that would oblige Washington to come to Manila's aid in the event of a military conflict with China. Manila and Beijing are maintaining a growing sovereignty dispute in the South China Sea, where in recent months clashes between ships of both countries have multiplied.