NEW YORK - US President Joe Biden is planning to meet with his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, according to a person with knowledge of the plans, as both nations look to rebuild a longstanding alliance undermined in recent years.
The Philippines under Marcos has been ramping up protests against Beijing over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. However, in an early sign of balancing interests shortly after winning the elections in May, Marcos called China the nation's"strongest partner" in pandemic recovery and said government is open to talks with Beijing on oil exploration in the disputed area.
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Marcos called on those countries to cut their carbon emissions and provide technology transfer for climate adaptation for the most vulnerable nations. The Philippines is the fourth most vulnerable to floods and storms, according to Fitch Ratings' climate change physical risk exposure heatmap rankings. An average of 20 cyclones pass through the Philippines annually, incurring US$10 billion in losses from climate-related hazards over a decade.