Marcos meets with key UK, Japan leaders in US

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday (PHL time) said he has met with key officials from the United Kingdom and Japan, as well as other economic leaders, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Among the personalities Marcos met with was former UK Prime Minister Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, who is the current executive chairman of the Tony Blair Institute For Global Change.

In a Facebook post, Marcos said he and Blair tackled the "optimistic peace process in the Bangsamaro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and looked at ways to address other priority issues in the global economy like food security, climate action, and trade."

Aside from Blair, Marcos also met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with whom he discussed strengthening cooperation in priority areas for his administration such as agriculture, energy, health and infrastructure.

Japanese Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Hikariko Ono said that Kishida also mentioned in the meeting that “the international community needs to oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Sea, as well as economic coercion.”

In his report on Unang Balita, GMA News' Ivan Mayrina said Kishida also vowed support to Marcos’ goal of making the Philippines an upper middle-income country by 2023.

During the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday (PHL time), Marcos expressed confidence that the Philippines could be a "moderately prosperous country" by 2040. He also reiterated that the country remains on track in reaching the upper middle-income status next year.

Further, Marcos said he also received World Bank president David Malpass. Further details about this have yet to be provided by Malacañang.

Along with his economic team, Marcos also met with American global food corporation Cargill at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York.

Cargill provides agricultural products, farming services, and risk management solutions in more than 70 countries and regions.

In a Facebook post, Marcos, who sits as the concurrent Agriculture secretary, said they were able to discuss how to attain food security and self-sufficiency, and explored ways to boost agricultural productivity in the Philippines.

During his address at the UNGA on Wednesday (PHL time), the chief executive said there is a need to take concrete measures towards a modern and resilient agriculture as food is not just a trade commodity nor a livelihood.

He also said he was looking forward to forging cooperation with the UN and other partners to boost agricultural productivity and food security, which are priorities of his administration.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced Wednesday that Marcos is also set to meet with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of UNGA.

She said the "momentous event" would be an opportunity for the two leaders "to discuss 76 fruitful years of the Philippines-US alliance in terms of mutual cooperation, two-way trade, direct investments, and other issues confronting the world." —KBK, GMA News