Sri Lanka, July 21 -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr meets US President Donald Trump this week, hoping Manila's status as a key Asian ally will secure a more favourable trade deal before an Aug 1 deadline.

Marcos will be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term. Trump has already struck trade deals with two of Manila's regional partners, Vietnam and Indonesia, driving tough bargains in trade talks even with close allies that Washington needs to keep onside in its strategic rivalry with China.

"I expect our discussions to focus on security and defence, of course, but also on trade," Marcos said in a speech before leaving Manila. "We will see how much progress we can make when it comes to the negotiation...