China on US senator's agenda in PH visit

MANILA - Florida senator Marco Rubio arrived in Manila Tuesday evening to meet with President Aquino and other Philippine and US officials over financial and security issues. In a statement, Rubio said Asia is important to the future of America's security and well-being and that America must make sure that its increased presence in Asia does not come at the expense of its allies. Accompanied by his Filipino-American chief of staff Cesar Conda, Rubio is on a weeklong trip to Japan, Philippines and South Korea. "For the Philippines, there are two main issues that we'll talk about, one is the South China Sea issue. We want to learn more about China's activities there and what the Philippines is doing and how the United States can help," Conda said. He said Rubio is also set to discuss economic issues with Aquino to strengthen the existing close trading relationship between the two allies. The Republican senator's other mission is to review the ongoing recovery efforts in areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda. Rubio is expected to visit Tacloban on Wednesday. Mornings@ANC, January 22, 2014