PBBM reports successful attendance at the 43rd ASEAN Summit

PH | PBBM reports successful attendance at the 43rd ASEAN Summit | MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday that the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he promoted the country’s interest in the regional meeting, went well.

In a news release, the President said he had taken part in 12 Leaders’-Level Meetings, including ones with Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, and the United Nations.

“At these meetings, I pushed for and brought attention to the Philippines’ strategic interests in ASEAN, such as food and energy security, the protection of migrant workers, climate change, and digital transformation,” the President said before returning to the Philippines Thursday night.

“Other ASEAN members and some outside partners stressed the importance of an international order built on rules. They also say that ASEAN is a competitive and integrated regional economy based on the centrality concept.

At the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the President met with ASEAN member states, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to talk about areas where they could work together, such as food security, climate change, and the digital economy.

At the East Asia Summit, which Marcos went to, big military, political, and economic problems that affected everyone were talked about.

“We talked about regional and international issues, and I stressed the need for a rules-based international order, especially in the South China Sea disputes, which affect not only our country but the whole region,” he said.

“I said again that the Philippines is committed to resolving disagreements peacefully, and I asked all countries to continue upholding international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, which protects freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.”

During the meeting, the President asked everyone to be calm and stop doing things on their own that could make things worse and lead to misunderstandings and mistakes in the South China Sea.

Other important regional and global problems like the situation in Myanmar, the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the conflict in Ukraine were also talked about.

On the sidelines of the summit, the President had informal talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US Vice President Kamala Harris about how to improve cooperation in key areas of mutual interest.

President Marcos also met with the leaders of Cambodia, Canada, the Cook Islands, India, the Republic of Korea, and Viet Nam, as well as with the President of the World Bank Group (WB), where they had open, honest, and useful conversations.

On the economic side, the President said that he had seen the signing of the Philippines-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which shows that both countries are committed to the growth and development of their own economies.

“The FTA will strengthen our bilateral trade and investment relationships with the Republic of Korea, especially since it creates jobs and adds to the Philippines’ value as an ideal regional hub for smart and sustainable investments,” he said.

“The signing of the FTA is a sign that the Philippines and South Korea have realised the many ways they can work together and complement each other. It’s also a big step forward for our economic partnership.”

On the sidelines of the Summit, Marcos also met with the top executives of a few Indonesian companies that wanted to expand their operations in the Philippines. He said that he was bringing back USD22 million in investment commitments in areas like agriculture and the digital economy that are very important for the Philippines’ economic recovery.

The President was also happy to say that the Philippines would be holding ASEAN in 2026 instead of 2027. (via PNA)