Marcos hopes defense, trade talks with Cambodia will 'move forward'

KUALA LUMPUR - President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Tuesday expressed hope that the Philippines' talks with Cambodia as regards to trade and defense will ''move forward.''

Marcos said this during his bilateral meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the sidelines of the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Malaysia. He emphasized the importance of expanding collaboration in the defense sector to strengthen the strategic partnership and ensure regional peace and stability.

“I hope that we can move forward with those discussions in terms of trade, defense, and potential defense cooperation,” Marcos said.

For his part, the Cambodian leader expressed his appreciation for the warm hospitality extended to him during his official visit to the Philippines in February 2025.

He also urged other ASEAN member states to embrace emerging opportunities amid global trade disruptions, emphasizing the region’s collective potential for resilience and growth.

''There are thousands of products where we can find complementarities,'' Hun Manet said.

In February, Marcos and Hun Manet signed several agreements aimed at improving both countries' bilateral ties. These are the following: 

Agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia for the Elimination of Double Taxation with Respect to Taxes on Income and the Prevention of Tax Evasion and Avoidance; 

• Memorandum of Understanding on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Government Digital Transformation between the Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of the Kingdom of Cambodia;
• Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural and Agribusiness Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia;
• Memorandum of Understanding on Implementation of Competition Law between the Philippine Competition Commission and Competition Commission of Cambodia;
• Memorandum of Understanding between Technical Education and Skills Development Authority of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training of the Kingdom of Cambodia on the Cooperation in the field of Technical Vocational Education and Training;
• Implementation Program of the Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Department of Tourism of the Republic of the Philippines 2025-2028;
• Memorandum of Agreement on Prevention of Looting and Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Properties; and 
• Memorandum of Intent between the Board of Investments and the Council for the Development of Cambodia on Investment Promotions. —VAL, GMA Integrated News