President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said he will forge more partnerships with other Asian nations to boost the Philippines’s international competitiveness.
Marcos also said his trip to Japan is part of a “larger foreign policy agenda” of his administration to strengthen security and economic bilateral relations with its Asian neighbors.
“We will seek to further strengthen the bonds and friendship with the close neighbors, [which are] like-minded and future-oriented like us in many way and the more reliable partners of both in times of crisis and of prosperity,” the President said in his speech before his departure to Tokyo at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City last Wednesday.
Since assuming the presidency last July, Marcos has already visited Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, and China which are all in Asia.
Bilateral deals
During his visit to Japan from February 8 to 12, Marcos will be meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio for the signing of bilateral agreements on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, infrastructure, and digital cooperation.
“Many of these MOUs [memorandum of understanding] and MOAs [memorandum of agreements], and other documents we will be witnessing are in fact the product of our meetings in New York and also in APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation],” he said.
The President said he will also be pursuing agreements on agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation, infrastructure, defense and security.
“I look forward to bringing home as they say, more of these agreements that will be of benefit to the transformation of our economy and to mitigate some of the challenges that we are facing in the new global economy,” Marcos said.
Imperial audience
While in Japan, Marcos and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will also be granted an audience with Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.
“I will also invite them to visit the Philippines to be welcomed by the warm hospitality of Filipinos, who have endeared Japan and Japanese culture in their hearts,” Marcos said.
He is also set to meet with Japan’s business leaders, where he will promote the country as a trade and investment destination.
“In these meetings, I will be joined by my economic team and key private sector representatives, who have been and will be continuous partners in growing our economy,” Marcos said.
The President said he will meet with the Filipino community in Japan so he could recognize their contribution in the country’s economic development.