MANILA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines is looking forward to the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump in Manila in November, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Saturday, adding the visit "affirms the strong partnership between the two allies."
"President Trump will definitely receive a very warm welcome in Manila," Cayetano said after the White House confirmed on Friday the U.S. chief executive's participation in the East Asian Summit.
"(Philippine) President (Rodrigo) Duterte is looking forward to welcoming President Trump in Manila," Cayetano said, adding that "our people are excited to see the first face-to-face meeting between our two leaders."
The White House said Trump's visit to the Philippines will be part of a 12-day trip from Nov. 3 to Nov. 14 that will also take him to Japan, South Korea, China, and Vietnam.
"Trump's visit underscores the improving relations between the Philippines and the United States, which no less than Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told me is on an upward vector," Cayetano said.
Cayetano also described relations between the Philippines and the U.S. to be strong and irreversible in his interview by National Public Radio (NPR) in Washington on Thursday.
"The American-Filipino relationship is so resilient that it bounces back right always regardless of personalities and issues," Cayetano told NPR anchor Mary Louise Kelly.
