ASEAN MEETS WITH JAPAN, CHINA Leaders of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) also hold a meeting
with Japan and with China on October 10, 2024. President
Marcos has again used the Asean platform to call out Chinese
aggression in the West Philippine Sea. —PPA POOL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is now back in Manila from the three-day 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summits and related meetings in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
The aircraft carrying Marcos and the rest of the Philippine delegates landed around 10:23 p.m. on Friday.
READ: ‘Silence on violations diminishes Asean’
Marcos was in Laos from October 8 to 11.
During the event, Marcos encouraged his fellow Asean leaders to improve their relations with external partners.
He also urged them “not to turn a blind eye” to aggressors in the South China Sea, as its silence “diminishes” the regional bloc.
READ: Marcos: Get Filipinos out of Lebanon by all means
Furthermore, Marcos encouraged investors from Asean countries to explore business opportunities in the Philippines.
On the sidelines of the events, the president called an urgent online meeting with various local agencies to order the mobilization of resources for the repatriation of Filipinos in Lebanon.