Marcos, Kishida vow to further strengthen Philippines-Japan partnership

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have agreed to further strengthen the ties between the Philippines and Japan during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Plus Three Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
 
In a statement on Saturday, the Office of the Press Secretary said Marcos and Kishida had a brief chat on the sidelines of the summit.
 
“Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the friendship and cooperation between Japan and ASEAN. And I look forward to advancing the cooperation between ASEAN and Japan,” Kishida was quoted as saying.

In response, the President said, “All of the concepts that we first started to discuss when we were in New York, we are continuing to develop in our government so that when the time comes, this concept that you have introduced to us on economic stability, is something… that ASEAN, the Philippines —we will continue to develop more of these ideas, and these concepts.”
 
The Japanese leader then said he looked forward to receiving Marcos in Japan. 
 
No date has been set for the state visit, according to the OPS.

At the 25th ASEAN-Japan Summit, Marcos thanked Japan for its continued support to the Philippines in various fields such as disaster management, COVID-19 response, and hosting thousands of Filipinos.

“They have been taken in by the Japanese people and have now found a place to live and work happily. For that we will always be grateful,” he said.

“Our cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic shows the agility of our partnership – we came to depend on Japan’s substantial assistance to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund and to the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework,” Marcos added. 

He also mentioned Japan's support for the AHA Center, or ASEAN Coordination Council for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, via the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund, as well as the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity through the establishment and management of ASEAN heritage parks.

The President welcomed the Quad's support for ASEAN unity and centrality and reaffirmed the Philippines' full commitment to maintaining regional peace and security.

Quad is a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the United States. — VBL, GMA Integrated News