Biden to hold trilateral call with Japan, Philippines leaders

MANILA: US President Joe Biden will have a trilateral telephone call with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos early Monday, Marcos's spokesman said Sunday.

The call was supposed to have been held on Sunday, but has been postponed because of the Los Angeles wildfires, presidential spokesman Cesar Chavez said in a statement.

The three leaders are expected to discuss progress made on mutual cooperation, economic matters and recent regional and global developments.

The three countries have stepped up security cooperation to blunt China's efforts to control most of the disputed South China Sea.

Biden earlier cancelled a January 9-12 trip to Italy to focus instead on the federal response to the California wildfires.

His term ends on January 20 when Donald Trump will be sworn in as the next US President.