US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and US President Donald Trump will have their first bilateral meeting in Washington.

“(We) look forward to hosting the President of the Philippines in Washington in a few days,” Rubio said following his meeting with Philippine and Japanese counterparts at the sidelines of ASEAN ministerial meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila confirmed Rubio’s statement and said Marcos will be in the US from July 20 to 22.

“We are working with the US State Department to finalize the details of the visit,” the DFA said in a statement.

It will be an official working visit for Marcos, the first head of state from the Association of South East Asian Nations to be invited by Trump to the White House, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said.

The Philippines will also deploy a trade delegation to the US next week to continue negotiations after the Trump administration increased its tariff to the Philippines to 20% unless a deal is reached.

Rubio, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya held their first trilateral meeting Thursday, reaffirming their commitment to enhancing their economic and security ties as they face an increasingly assertive China, which has expanded its military presence in the disputed South China Sea – a key trading route.

Rubio described the meeting as “excellent” when asked about the outcome of the meeting, signaling Washington’s commitment to the trilateral arrangement initiated by Trump’s political rival and predecessor, Joe Biden.

“We have a great relationship with Japan and the Philippines, and work very closely with them on the economic corridor on maritime security, and territorial integrity to build upon that partnership,” Rubio said.

Lazaro, in a statement from Kuala Lumpur where she attended the ASEAN ministerial talks, which included an expanded security dialogue that included the US and Japan, among others, said the trilateral meeting maintained their commitment to bolstering their security cooperation.

They also vowed to continue “safeguarding regional peace, stability and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth undertook his first symbolic visit in March with the Philippines and Japan as his chosen destinations. Hegseth said in Manila that the US will ramp up deterrence with its allies against Chinese aggression in the region.