MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez met with incoming Ambassador of the United States to Manila Lee Lipton ahead of his departure for his tour of duty in the Philippines.
Romualdez and Lipton on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) discussed the longstanding and enduring alliance between the Philippines and the US, the Philippine Embassy in Washington said.
They tackled opportunities to further strengthen bilateral economic engagement, security cooperation, people-to-people ties, and regional collaboration, the embassy posted on X.
Romualdez expressed confidence that Philippine-US relations would "continue to grow under their shared commitment to advancing the interests of both countries and peoples," the embassy said.
This year, the Philippines and the US are commemorating 80 years of diplomatic relations, and the 75th anniversary of the Philippines-United States Mutual Defense Treaty.
Both envoys underscored the importance of expanding cooperation in emerging strategic sectors such as in the processing of critical minerals, energy cooperation, advanced manufacturing, and resilient supply chains.
They also exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026 and its candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council this coming June.
