The visit highlights efforts to strengthen security and economic ties between the U.S. and Philippines as tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific.

President Trump is set to meet at the White House on Tuesday with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, who is seeking to leverage his country’s close relationship with the United States to secure a more favorable trade deal.

By David Brunnstrom and Karen Lema WASHINGTON/MANILA (Reuters) -Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet U.S. President Donald Trump this week, hoping Manila's status as a key Asian ally will secure a more favorable trade deal before an August 1 deadline.