Donald Trump says US will impose 19 per cent tariff on imports from Philippines

President Donald Trump said he has reached a trade agreement with Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr following a meeting Tuesday at the White House that will see the US slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells thereTrump revealed the broad terms of the agreement on his social media network and said the US and the Philippines would work together militarily The announcement of a loose framework of a deal comes as the two countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the IndoPacific regionMarcos government indicated ahead of the meeting that he was prepared to offer zero tariffs on some US goods to strike a deal with Trump The Philippine Embassy did not immediately respond to a message seeking commentMarcos threeday visit to Washington shows the importance of the alliance between the treaty partners as China is increasingly assertive in the South China Sea where Manila and Beijing have clashed over the hotly contested Scarborough ShoalWashington sees Beijing the worlds No 2 economy as its biggest competitor and consecutive presidential administrations have sought to shift US military and economic focus to the AsiaPacific in a bid to counter China Trump like others before him has been distracted by efforts to broker peace in a range of conflicts from Ukraine to GazaTrump announces a trade deal with the PhilippinesTrump said on Truth Social that the US would impose a 1937 tariff rate on the Philippines down from a 2037 tariff he threatened starting Aug 1 In return he said the Philippines would have an open market and the US would not pay tariffsWithout further details on the agreement its unclear how it will impact their countries economies Trump wrote that Marcos visit was beautiful and it was a Great Honor to host such a very good and tough negotiatorAppearing before reporters in the Oval Office ahead of their private meeting Marcos spoke warmly of the ties between the two nations This has evolved into as important a relationship as is possible to have said Marcos the first Southeast Asian leader to hold talks with Trump in his second term Trump as he does in many of his appearances veered off topic as he fielded questions from reportersIn response to a question about his Justice Departments decision to interview Jeffrey Epsteins former girlfriend Trump repeated falsehoods about his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and the Russia investigation during his first term along with comments about targeting adversaries such as former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton After what they did to me whether its right or wrong its time to go after people Trump saidRelations with China are top of mindWhen asked how he plans to balance his countrys relationships between the US and China Marcos said there was no need to balance because our foreign policy is an independent one Our strongest partner has always been the United States said Marcos whose country is one of the oldest US treaty allies in the Pacific regionOn Tuesday when asked about the US defense commitment to the Philippines Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Whatever cooperation the US and the Philippines have it should not target or harm any third party still less incite confrontation and heighten tensions in the regionChina the Philippines Vietnam Malaysia Brunei and Taiwan have been involved in longunresolved territorial conflicts in the South China Sea a busy shipping passage for global trade The Chinese coast guard has repeatedly used water cannons to hit Filipino boats in the South China Sea China accused those vessels of entering the waters illegally or encroaching on its territoryMarcos also met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week At the Pentagon on Monday Marcos told Hegseth that the assurance to come to each others mutual defense continues to be the cornerstone of that relationshipHe said the cooperation has deepened since Hegseths March visit to Manila including joint exercises and US support in modernizing the Philippines armed forces Marcos thanked the US for support that we need in the face of the threats that we our country is facingHegseth told a security forum in Singapore in May that China poses a threat and the US is reorienting toward deterring aggression by Communist ChinaThe US however has endeavored to keep communication open with Beijing Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met this month on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional forum in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia They agreed to explore areas of potential cooperation and stressed the importance of managing differencesWhen hosting Marcos Trump said a visit to China is not too distant suggesting it is possible he could travel there soon Trump touted USChina relations but said Manila is independent in its dealings with Beijing Do whatever you need to do Trump told Marcos But your dealing with China wouldnt bother me at allThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever