lucky slot Philippines, Vietnam to expand strategic partnership

Updated:2024-10-28 02:37    Views:182

VIENTIANE – President Marcos met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chính here on Tuesdaylucky slot, during which they agreed to expand the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The two leaders are attending the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and related summits in Laos’ capital from Oct. 9 to 11.

“We have made a good deal of progress since our very first discussion and some of the engagements between our two countries, and I am very happy that we will be able to pursue that,” Marcos told the Vietnamese leader during their bilateral meeting.

“And it gives us also the opportunity to explore new areas of cooperation and of partnership. So, thank you,” Marcos added.

The two leaders’ meeting focused on deepening economic cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade and agriculture, according to a statement released by the Presidential Communications Office last Tuesday night.

They also expressed their shared commitment to celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Philippines-Vietnam strategic partnership in 2025 by advancing collaboration in key sectors.

Marcos also extended his heartfelt condolences for the losses caused by Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam and the passing of general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

For his part, the Vietnamese prime minister reaffirmed Vietnam’s unwavering commitment to the Philippines.

“I want to reaffirm that we always support the strategic partnership with the Philippines. I’m glad to note that the discussions that we began two years ago have been implemented effectively,” he said.

The prime minister also expressed his gratitude to Marcos for extending his condolences to typhoon victims in his country and to the family of the late general secretary.

During Marcos’ state visit to Vietnam in January, the two countries signed various agreements, including rice trade cooperation, incident prevention in the South China Sea, agriculture and cultural cooperation.

The Philippines and Vietnam are both claimants in the South China Sea, a resource-rich waterway claimed almost entirely by China.

In August, Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang visited the Philippines to deepen defense cooperation between Manila and Hanoi.

Aside from Vietnam, Marcos is also scheduled to meet with leaders of Japan, Canada and New Zealand on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summits here.

Being his first time in Laos, Marcos was surprised by the number of Filipinos in the Southeast Asian country and was “impressed” by the caliber of the Filipino community here.

Marcos, who arrived in Laos Oct. 8, made the remarks during a gathering of the Filipino community at the Latsavong Wanda Vista Vientiane Hotel last Tuesday night.

“This is my first visit to Laos. Not as the President, in my entire life, it’s only now that I have been here in Vientiane,” he said.

The President recalled that when government agencies were planning his schedule for the ASEAN Summit, he did not expect that there would be a Filipino community gathering in Laos.

“As long as there is a trip, we always put (a) FilCom (event). But I said, maybe in Laos, in Vientiane, there are no Filipinos there… I was surprised when they said, ‘No, we have many compatriots there, and this is their job, this is what they do,’ ” he said.

There are approximately 2,000 Filipinos in Laos, most of whom are professionals, including teachers, engineers and lawyers.

“I am always impressed with the profile and the caliber of our Filipino community here in Lao PDR,” Marcos said.

“As teachers, you are educating the future leaders of this country. As engineers, you are helping build their economic security and help train your peers in your respective areas. As hospitality providers, you are strengthening their service economy and bringing in the quality standards that we have experienced back home. As executives, you make the business community here more dynamic, thereby creating opportunities for trade and investment. And as experts and as professionals, you share your knowledge and skills to benefit their society and hasten their path to development,” he added.

Philippine Ambassador to Laos Deena Joy Amatong noted that Filipinos are “paid fairly well here and are very well regarded” by the Lao people.

Marcos said Filipinos based in Laos, just like in other parts of the world, have been “superlative ambassadors” because of their good reputation.

“By exercising your professions in the professional and expert way that you do, through your daily interactions with the locals, you have become valuable members of society. You make us all very, very proud,” the President said.

As tensions remain in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea, Marcos yesterday called ASEAN leaders to continue to uphold the rule of law and abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Marcos said he brought up the maritime issue with fellow leaders during the first day of the three-day ASEAN Summits in Vientiane.

Asked by journalists whether he discussed recent developments in the disputed waters, the President answered: “No, I didn’t specify the details, but it is just the general principle of the adherence to the rule of law and the UNCLOS. Just as a general theme.”

Marcos said he would expound on the matter with fellow leaders during their meetings that will be held until Friday.

“We will have a chance to get into more details, maybe in the next couple of days,” he said in a chance interview at the National Convention Center.

Recently, Chinese vessels fired water cannons at two ships of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea.

Bajo de Masinloc, also called Panatag Shoal, is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

Marcos has no scheduled bilateral meeting with China, which was represented by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the summit.

Apart from the Philippines, other ASEAN member-states that claim part of the South China Sea are Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Marcos asserted that the Philippines continues to push for the Five-Point Consensus, an ASEAN peace plan from 2021 aimed at resolving Myanmar’s crisis, calling for an end to violence, dialogue and humanitarian aid.

“The position of the Philippines … remains the same… We are firmly behind the ASEAN proposal of the Five-Point Consensus and we are trying to find ways to move forward,” Marcos said.

“Because we have to admit that although the Five Points have been out there since Brunei, we have not been very successful in actually changing the situation,” he added.

The regional bloc is “trying to formulate new strategies,” according to Marcos, but he did not elaborate.

The President and First Lady Liza Marcos attended the opening ASEAN Summits yesterday morning. They were welcomed by Siphandone and his wife.

Marcos also attended yesterday the ASEAN Retreat Session, ASEAN leaders’ interface with the Interparliamentary Assembly, ASEAN Business Advisory Council and ASEAN Youth.

Business leader

The President was also the keynote speaker at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit held at the Landmark Hotel Riverside.

He invited business leaders to invest in green metals, battery manufacturing, energy equipment, data centers and agribusiness in the Philippines.

The Philippines, according to Marcos, is an ideal hub for smart and sustainable manufacturing.

“Let me put on my salesman’s hat for just a while and invite you to explore the investment opportunities that are on offer,” he said in his speech.

The President said the Philippines has passed key reforms to boost investments and economic activities in the country, including the Public-Private Partnership Code of the Philippines.

“Since I came into office, we (have) put the private sector as an equal partner in the transformation of our economy,” he added.

He was scheduled to meet with officials of private companies Shera Public Company Limited and Capital A last night.

In another development, Taiwan has vowed that it would neither yield nor provoke despite the severe security challenges it faces from its “biggest” neighbor as the Philippines is also facing China’s expansion and aggression.

Wallace Minn-Gan Chowlucky slot, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, said Taiwan would work even more closely with like-minded countries with shared difficulties and facing numerous challenges – war between Russia and Ukraine, war in Gaza and Lebanon, rising tensions in the South China Sea and multiple military exercises around –  Pia Lee-Brago

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