By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to boosting relations across various sectors in a bilateral meeting with the prime ministers of Vietnam and Laos on the sidelines of the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday.
President Marcos and Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed strong interest in elevating their countries’ strategic partnership into a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” with Marcos noting the “productive conversations” that were already conducted by diplomats from both sides.
“Sa ika-10 taon ng Philippines–Vietnam Strategic Partnership, napag-usapan namin ni Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ang pagpapalakas ng kalakalan, ugnayan ng ating mga mamamayan, at ang paghahanda ng Pilipinas bilang ASEAN Chair sa 2026,” Marcos said in a Facebook post.
Prime Minister Chinh also acknowledged the “remarkable progress” in bilateral relations since Marcos’ state visit to Vietnam in January last year, hoping that “it has come to the point where we can elevate the strategic partnership between our two countries.”
Recognizing the expanding economic and trade cooperation between the Philippines and Vietnam, the two leaders agreed to boost collaboration in agriculture and food security as well as enhance people-to-people exchanges in education, tourism, and cultural management.
The two Southeast Asian nations are commemorating the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year.
PM Siphandone invites PBBM for official state visit in Laos
Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, extended a formal invitation to President Marcos for a state visit to Lao PDR, expressing strong interest in deepening bilateral relations and welcoming more Filipino investments in Laos’ priority sectors, such as clean energy, infrastructure, and advanced technology.
During their meeting, President Marcos also noted the “great potential” for expanding economic ties between the Philippines and Laos as bilateral trade between the two nations has increased from $7 million in 2019 to $13.72 million in 2024.
“Bilang paggunita sa 70 taon ng ugnayan ng Pilipinas at Lao PDR, nagkasundo kami ni Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone na lalo pang paigtingin ang pagtutulungan sa kalakalan, edukasyon, at seguridad—at magkaisa para sa kapayapaan at kaunlaran ng rehiyon,” Marcos said.
Other key sectors identified for deeper collaboration include agriculture, skills development, tourism, and emerging areas like artificial intelligence and digital technology.
Prime Minister Siphandone likewise hailed the Filipino community in Laos for their contributions to education, research, and architecture in the country.
He also thanked the Philippine government for providing language training and scholarships for Lao ministries.
-jpv
