U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris wrapped up a two-day visit to the Philippines that included a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and vows to expand the United States' military presence in the country. In a speech aboard a Philippine coast guard patrol ship docked at the edge of disputed waters of the South China Sea, she said the U.S. would defend the Philippines “in the face of intimidation and coercion" from China. The trip comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China over the status of Taiwan, and as China and the Philippines square off over disputed islands in the South China Sea.