The bilateral partnership between the Philippines and the United States is a testament to the strength and depth of the relations between the two nations, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on Thursday.

In a ceremony held in Taguig, Lazaro said several bilateral dialogues between the US and the Philippines in the last three years have 'opened new avenues for deeper and strategic collaboration' in political, security, defense, trade, investment, and development sectors.

"These flurry of activities are a testament to the strength and depth of our relations. Sustaining this momentum will not only reinforce the strength of our alliance and the maturity of our institutional linkages, but also ensure that our partnership remains relevant and responsive to current and emerging challenges," Lazaro said in her speech.

Lazaro cited various partnerships between the two nations, such as the recent Balikatan exercise and maritime cooperative activities.

'Our Balikatan exercise and our maritime cooperative activities continue to see increased participation from partner nations and observers," Lazaro shared.

The foreign affairs secretary also shared that Philippine cabinet secretaries for health, energy, information and communications technology, and transportation have made official trips to the United States to pursue further cooperation only less than six months since US President Donald Trump's inauguration.

The Philippines and the United States have been engaging in bilateral dialogues aimed at strengthening cooperation in the maritime domain, science and technology, democracy, trade and investment, cyber-digital policy, aviation, and outer space.

"We continue to welcome business missions from the US in recognition of the promising economic opportunities in the Philippines as a result of our game-changing policy reforms and consistent high growth," Lazaro said.

The two countries recently signed a trilateral partnership with Japan for the Luzon Economic Corridor, a flagship infrastructure initiative designed to link Subic, Clark, Manila, and Batangas to accelerate trade and investment across Luzon.

Last week, the US Trade and Development Agency and the Department of Transportation announced technical assistance funding for the construction of the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Railway, meant to link three major ports in Luzon in a push to decongest traffic in the Port of Manila. Velle White/DMS