Marcos-Biden meeting during APEC Summit? No plans on this trip, envoy says

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will not meet his American counterpart Joe Biden at the sidelines of the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

"No plans on this trip," Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez told GMA News Online on Tuesday.

Romualdez also bared that there is a request from the office of Vice President Kamala Harris to meet Marcos at the sidelines of the Summit.

"There is a request from the office of VP Kamala for sideline meeting with PBBM," Romualdez said.

Meanwhile, the White House earlier said Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping would discuss strengthening communication and managing competition when they meet on the sidelines of the APEC this week.

The face-to-face meeting in the San Francisco Bay Area will be the first between Biden and Xi in a year, with the high-stakes diplomacy aimed at curbing tensions between the two superpowers. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA Integrated News