Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27) — United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III will be in Manila next week for an official trip, the US Department of Defense announced on Friday.
The department said Austin will depart on Jan. 29 (US time) to visit South Korea and the Philippines.
There is no official announcement yet on the date of his arrival, but Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez said Austin is expected to be in the country in the first week of February.
Austin will meet with senior Philippine government and military officials to further strengthen defense partnerships between the two countries and advance regional stability, the US defense department said.
“This trip reaffirms the deep commitment of the United States to work in concert with allies and partners in support of the shared vision of preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific,” it added.
It will come over two months after US Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Philippines.
In November 2022, Harris flew to Manila before making a historic trip to Palawan where she reaffirmed Washington’s support for the country amid tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.
