President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Saturday afternoon described former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as his "secret weapon" during the 29th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation in Thailand.

Speaking before the Filipino community in Thailand, Marcos Jr. said Macapagal-Arroyo is an asset to his delegation, as the former Philippine chief executive is a friend of some of the world leaders who attended the meeting.

"Sinasabi kong secret weapon dahil ako ang baguhan dito, ako yung... bagong naging leader kaya pag papasok kami sa meeting noong nakita si GMA, 'ito, my old friend, good friend.' Madali na agad yung usapan," said Marcos.

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House Speaker Martin Romualdez earlier said Arroyo was "definitely an asset" to Marcos' delegation in the global event.

It was Marcos who invited Macapagal-Arroyo, he said, saying her experience and insights are valuable to the current Philippine leader. The former president has been credited to improving the country's ties with China, and co-founded the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) in the 1970s.

China’s Foreign Ministry had described this as a group that “endeavors to inject additional dynamism into building a more comprehensive China-Philippines partnership in the new era.”

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Marcos arrived in Bangkok for the meeting on Wednesday evening,
and since then tackled climate change, sustainable development, and the need to invest in health infrastructure.

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The President also urged APEC leaders and the business sector that peace must be upheld in the Asia-Pacific region to resolve the supply chain issues that led to rising prices of commodities across the world.

Marcos will return to the country later in the day.