US trade chief Tai to visit Manila next week

MANILA, Philippines — US Trade Representative Katherine Tai will visit Manila next week to meet her Philippine counterparts as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to boost ties with partners in the region.

Tai will be in Manila on April 16 to 18, before going to Japan on April 18 to 20, her office said in a statement dated April 13.

During her Manila visit, Tai will meet senior government officials and several of her trade and economic counterparts, including Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

She will also have a meeting with local business leaders and union representatives.

“Throughout these meetings, Ambassador Tai will emphasize the importance of strengthening the U.S. – Philippines bilateral trade relationship and discuss the ongoing Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) negotiations that aim to create resilient, sustainable and inclusive trade across the region,” Tai’s office said.

The US is a major trading partner of the Philippines, with over $18.9 billion in goods and services traded in 2020.

Tai’s Indo-Pacific trip came as China and the European Union have been expanding their global economic clout in recent years by forging free trade deals with partners.

Last February, the Senate concurred with the ratification of the Philippines’ membership in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or RCEP, the latest country in Southeast Asia to join the world’s largest free trade bloc that excludes the US.

READ: Senate cements Philippines' membership in RCEP trade deal

In Japan, Tai “will meet with senior Government of Japan counterparts to further build upon recent achievements in the U.S.-Japan trade partnership and discuss the ongoing IPEF negotiations,” her office said. — with a report from Kaycee Valmonte