ASEAN countries, US need to forge alliances — Marcos
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has raised the need for synergy through alliances between Southeast Asian countries and the United States.
Marcos stated this during his meeting with the US-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (US-ASEAN) Business Council in Malacañang on Wednesday, Aug. 9.
The President stressed that the partnerships and arrangements between ASEAN and American partners have been playing a huge part in the Philippine development, especially as the nation focuses on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
"By soaring up our individual and collective capabilities, we are able to advance our countries' as well as the Indo-Pacific region's security, stability, and economic prosperity," Marcos told the US-ASEAN Business Council delegation.
With this, he invited the council to continue forging partnerships with the Philippines.
“I recognize the critical role that the United States and American businesses have played in advancing a robust and inclusive economic growth in the Philippines, not only in this period but for a very long time now,” Marcos said.
“I invite the members of the esteemed council to continue being valuable partners of the Philippines. Let us push for greater economic engagement between our two countries, for our mutual benefit, for the prosperity, especially of the region,” he added.
During the meeting, he also cited that he and US President Joe Biden have identified concrete steps to ensure that the alliance and partnership remains relevant and responsive to current emerging challenges in the defense, security, and economic spheres.
This is a "testament to the positive momentum in our bilateral relations," he said.
The US-ASEAN Business Council, the largest US-ASEAN business contingent, made a courtesy call to the Chief Executive where they committed more investments in the country.
US-ASEAN Business Council President and CEO Ted Osius told Marcos that they are "very much focused" and determined to forge partnerships in the country.
He expressed their intention to create more partnerships with companies in the Philippines as they see the country as an "incredible partner" in transforming the economy.
“We are determined that we come here not just to talk but also bring a lot of action to create real partnerships and to show our commitment in the form of investments,” Osius said.