Marcos meets with leaders of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos at Asean Summit
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his speech at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Sunday, May 25, 2025, before his departure for Kuala Lumpur to take part in the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. (INQUIRER.net/Ryan Leagogo)
KUALA LUMPUR – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. got busy on his first day at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit here and made time for three bilateral meetings with the leaders of Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Malacanang said the President discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation with Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the ASEAN Summit sidelines here at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos and Siphandone talked about the 70th anniversary of bilateral ties between the two nations.
“They also talked about possible agreements on defense cooperation, economic trade cooperation, education cooperation. It was mentioned that trade levels in the past three years between the two countries rose by $ 14.93 million,” Castro said in an interview with Palace reporters here.
She said Laos also thanked the overseas Filipino community for its contribution to education and architecture, and credited the Philippines for its language trainings and scholarships there.
“In their opinion, Filipinos in Laos were their partners in nation-building,” Castro said.
Marcos also raised the potential of tapping artificial intelligence and digital technology in boosting the economy. Both leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to further advance bilateral cooperation.
The Chief Executive then met with Paetongtarn, a scion of the influential Shinawatra political clan and the youngest Prime Minister of Thailand at 37 years old.
“They talked about trade and economic relations, agricultural cooperation, and combatting transnational crimes. This is their first bilateral meeting,” Castro said.
The President also sat down for a bilateral meeting with Pham. The two state leaders were photographed in a friendly hug during their meeting.
