Marcos harps on ASEAN unity

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Friday brought his call for "unity" to the 40th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit Plenary in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Regional unity is the key to achieving growth, Marcos said, as he urged his fellow Southeast Asian leaders to continue creating an inclusive and resilient ASEAN conducive to growth and prosperity.

In his intervention speech at the summit, Marcos stressed the need to reassert ASEAN Centrality to implement the ASEAN-led mechanisms for its community-building efforts.

"It is imperative that we reassert ASEAN Centrality. This is in the face of geopolitical dynamics and tensions in the region and the proliferation of Indo-Pacific engagements including the requests of our Dialogue Partners for closer partnerships," Marcos said.

"ASEAN's response to this is the forward-looking ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, with its essential element of ASEAN Centrality in the implementation of ASEAN-led mechanisms, projects, and initiatives for our Community Building efforts," he added.

He proposed the improvement of ASEAN solidarity, noting the natural disasters, health emergencies, armed conflicts, and economic recessions that have confronted the region.

The Chief Executive also called for the reinvigoration of the region's economies through tourism recovery, energy cooperation as well as trade and investment revitalization.

"Let us enhance ASEAN food security cooperation through strengthened initiatives and expanded projects under the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry and other related mechanisms. This will also include our Dialogue Partners," he said.

"We need to solidify our food resilience and promote food self-sufficiency, through the use of new agricultural technologies, in order to protect the region and our countries from shocks to the global food value chain, as well as against adverse effects of climate change," he added.

Moreover, Marcos urged his fellow leaders to improve their cooperation in enhancing digitalization that benefits micro, small, and medium enterprises and the healthcare system.

Economic power

As an economic power, the President also cited ASEAN's establishment of free trade area with a combined gross domestic product.

He noted the ASEAN Development Outlook forecast that ASEAN will surpass the European Union by 2030 to become the fourth largest economy in the world.

With the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in place, Marcos said ASEAN is poised to recover well after the pandemic and "remains an attractive investment and production center of the global supply chain."

The RCEP is a free trade agreement between the 10 ASEAN member states and its five FTA partners which include Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea.

Meanwhile, the President called for a united voice and urged all countries to fulfill their obligation to attain carbon neutrality by 2050 in addressing the climate crisis.

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