Maritime neighbors Manila and Beijing see ties spiral downward due to disputed South China Sea claims - Anadolu Ajansı

The visit highlights efforts to strengthen security and economic ties between the U.S. and Philippines as tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific.

President Donald Trump said he has reached a trade agreement with Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after a meeting Tuesday at the White House that will see the U.S. slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells there.