JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday called for strengthened cooperation among ASEAN Plus Three (APT) countries on food security, climate change, and the digital economy.

In his intervention at the 26th APT Summit on 6 September, Marcos said that the APT is a "crucial vehicle" to improve the resiliency of the ASEAN Community and that it has "stood the test of time against the many challenges that we have faced together within our region."

Marcos highlighted the need to strengthen regional food security mechanisms and increase the emergency rice supply of the APT through the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).

He also reiterated his proposal for APT Cooperation to consider diversifying APTERR by adding other commodities and staple foods to rice.

Marcos also called for APT to close the digital divide and unleash the full potential of the digital economy. He said that the increasing importance of the digital domain in all economies underscores its ubiquity as a driver of economic growth, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises.

"I also believe that it is an opportune time for ASEAN and the APT to institutionalize sectoral cooperation on the Creative Economy," Marcos said.

"We need to underscore the creative industry in ASEAN's regional economic integration in its agenda, particularly fostering innovation and digitalization," he added.

Marcos also stressed the need for APT countries to encourage the transition to a circular economy.

He said that today's global challenges, such as climate change and ocean waste and pollution, require the partnership of governments and the private sector to be effectively addressed.

"The decisions we make today will define the course of our national and regional developmental trajectories," Marcos said. "While our economies have common issues, we do understand that we all have our own conditions, our own priorities, our differences in policy, as we continue to cope with the rapidly changing pace of regional and global challenges."

This meeting was attended by ASEAN country leaders, Premier of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Li Qiang, Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Fumio Kishida.