Philippines' Marcos to meet Blinken next week, presidential office says

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 19 to tackle cooperation and security matters, the office of the Manila leader said in a statement late on Wednesday night.

Marcos also vowed to defend the Philippines' maritime entitlements in the face of a "more active attempt by the Chinese to annex some of our territory."

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema; Editing by Chris Reese)