Marcos Jr. meets ASEAN leaders in Cambodia | ABS-CBN

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Marcos Jr. meets ASEAN leaders in Cambodia

Marcos Jr. meets ASEAN leaders in Cambodia

Joyce Balancio,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Jan 21, 2023 02:56 AM PHT

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PHNOM PENH—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first day in Cambodia was jampacked with a series of meetings with ASEAN leaders and dialogue partners.

Inviting businessmen to invest in the Philippines was his first agenda on Thursday morning.

He faced business leaders and highlighted that his administration has been steering the Philippine economy in the right direction.

“And as I was telling some of the Cabinet members, I think the Philippine economy, the important elements are in place and you can feel that our economy is trying to grow but is really being pummeled by the forces outside of which we have no control,” the President said.

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The government has implemented policy changes on public-private partnerships and government-to-government deals to attract more investments, Marcos said.

“We would like to invite at the very least, for you, to have a look at the opportunities that are available. And finally I supposed at some point, since we are not so far away, to come and we will explain to you exactly what we have done and why we have done it and where we have arrived in that process of transforming the economy,” Marcos said during a CEO roundtable meeting in the morning.

ASEAN
Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr joined the other ASEAN leaders in a meeting with the King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihamoni, prior to the opening ceremony of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits ASEAN

According to the Office of the Press Secretary, there has been an agreement to cooperate in various areas such as rice importation, low-cost housing, and even hiring more Filipino nurses in Cambodia, among others.

Meanwhile, Marcos also joined other ASEAN leaders in a meeting with the King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihamoni.

He also held a bilateral meeting with Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh who congratulated the Philippines for its COVID-19 response and for being one of the countries that have the highest GDP growth in the ASEAN.

"As we have observed, the Philippines and Vietnam since the beginning of our diplomatic relationship have had a burgeoning, a growing relationship, both in the political and security side and of course, in terms of trade and in people-to-people exchanges," Marcos said in his speech.

The two leaders agreed to boost ties in security, trade and agriculture, especially since the Philippines considers Vietnam an important partner in ensuring food security. Vietnam has been the source of the country’s 90% of rice imports.

Marcos, noted, however, the imbalance in the trade between the Philippines and Vietnam.

"In the past few years, we have seen the great success, the great economic success that Vietnam has enjoyed, and with that even Filipino investors have started to go to Vietnam to be part of this development in your country, and since then our trade has increased,” the President pointed out.

It is in this meeting that Marcos reiterated the need for the ASEAN member states to "find common ground” in dealing with pressing regional issues such as the rising tensions in Taiwan and the political crisis in Myanmar.

"All of these issues are of extreme importance and of extreme urgency. And that is why I believe ASEAN must find common ground from which to face those challenges,” he stressed.

Office of the Press Secretary
Office of the Press Secretary

Vietnam is one of the claimant countries in the South China Sea, but Foreign Affairs Asec. Nathaniel Imperial said the issue of territorial dispute was not discussed during the bilateral meeting.

Marcos has been invited for a state visit to Vietnam, which he accepted. The date is yet to be determined depending on the two countries’ availability.

He also graced the ASEAN meeting with youth representatives and the ASEAN business advisory council where he encouraged the members to support micro, small and medium enterprises.

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