U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing titled “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request: Investing in U.S. Security and Competitiveness, and the Path Ahead for the U.S.-China Relationship” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 16, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
MANILA – U.S. companies are set to announce investments amounting to more than $1 billion dollars in the Philippines, United States Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said during an official visit to Manila on Monday.
The investments would be in areas like solar energy, electric vehicles and digitization, she said, adding that U.S. companies were eager to do business in the Southeast Asian country.
READ: US aims to be ‘economic partner of choice’ for Indo-Pacific- Raimondo
Raimondo is in Manila for a two-day trade and investment mission on behalf of President Joe Biden. Her delegation includes top officials from companies like GreenFire Energy Inc., Google Asia Pacific, Visa, United Airlines and KKR.
Infrastructure, clean energy
The White House in January said a trade mission would be sent to boost U.S. companies’ contribution to key Philippine sectors including infrastructure, clean energy, critical minerals, agriculture and the innovation economy.
The Philippines and the United States are longstanding allies bounded by a 73-year old mutual defence treaty. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has sought to deepen relations beyond defence cooperation to include economic partnerships.
“The U.S.-Philippine alliance is iron clad,” Raimondo said at a joint briefing with Philippine officials. “It is sustained over 72 years, and we remain steadfast friends and increasingly, partners in prosperity.”