Marcos: ASEAN must continue to cooperate amid ongoing, future challenges

President Marcos emphasized that the Philippines and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must continue to work together to navigate ongoing and future geopolitical and economic challenges.

- BY BETHEENA UNITE

In his arrival statement on Wednesday morning, May 28, Marcos recognized that the summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was an opportunity to discuss among fellow ASEAN member states and partners how they should navigate their futures together.

"The summit was once again an opportunity to discuss among our fellow ASEAN member states and partners how we should navigate our futures together. This amidst the various geopolitical and economic challenges that we face nationally, bilaterally, regionally, and globally," Marcos said.

The President said he was able to participate in discussions on significant international issues and emerging challenges that not only impact the country, but also the entire region, especially the West Philippine Sea.

On the sidelines of his two-day participation in the summit, he met with the leaders of Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Kuwait, where he reaffirmed commitment to strengthen bilateral relations and further advance cooperation on many fields of mutual interests such as defense, maritime, trade, human resource and development, and education.

"I especially wish to note that we agreed to explore active ways to boost private sector investment. We expressed openness to cooperating on advanced technologies, AI, and the digital space," he said.