President Rodrigo Duterte flies to Thailand today, November 01, 2019 to partake in the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. With the theme “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability,” the deliberation will center on political security, economic integration, and socio-cultural development.
The Philippine embassy in Bangkok, Thailand expects that during the East Asia Summit, a sub-event of the ASEAN Summit where strategic dialogue among partner countries will be held, various regional issues will be discussed, including those concerning the Philippines. “The East Asia Summit is an ASEAN-led mechanism wherein the ASEAN leaders can engage our eight external partners which include China, U.S., India, Republic of Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, where they will exchange views on regional and international issues of particular concern not only to ASEAN, but also to the Philippines,” explains Philippine ambassador to Thailand Mary Jo A. Bernardo-Aragon.
The embassy also emphasized the significance of the Philippines’s participation in Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). “There are some negotiations now on the RCEP. We look forward to an early conclusion of RCEP which will greatly benefit our country and the people, especially when we are enjoying positive, economic growth compared to other countries in the region,” Bernardo-Aragon elucidates.
In the course of the ASEAN Summit, the hastening of negotiations on the code of conduct on the disputed territories in South China Sea must be raised by President Duterte. “He has a country coordinator for the ASEAN-China dialogue. I believe it is to the interest of ASEAN that we look forward to an early conclusion of the code of conduct in the South China Sea. This will greatly help reduce tension in the region, which should be conducive to the sustained economic growth of the region which is a common interest to all ASEAN-member countries,” says Bernardo-Aragon.
The Philippine embassy in Bangkok ensures the provision of assistance to Filipinos in Thailand, whom face employment and financial adversities.
The visitation of President Duterte to Thailand is the fourth one since he assumed the presidency. His stay there lasts until November 04.
