San Francisco, California
November 13, 2023
“APEC is important for the Philippines because APEC is the primary forum where we are able to engage with the other economies in the Asia-Pacific region,” says Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Charles Jose in an interview.
Serving as the Philippines’ Senior Official for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), he shares insights on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s participation in the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) in San Francisco, California on November 14-17 November 2023.
According to the DFA Undersecretary, 11 out of 15 of the Philippines’ top trading partners are APEC Member Economies. He further states that around 85% of the country’s total imports and exports, and about 56% of Foreign Direct Investments that enter the Philippines, come from APEC economies.
This year’s Summit bears the theme, ‘Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All’, which highlights the commitment to work towards key issues, including supply chain resilience, digital trade, connectivity, opportunities for small and medium enterprises, climate change and environmental sustainability.
“This aligns with our economic agenda because under the Philippine Development Plan and the administration’s eight-point socioeconomic agenda, we also aim to transform our economy to make it resilient, sustainable and inclusive,” he adds, stating that the President is set to push for financing for a just, inclusive and sustainable energy transition, as well as emphasize the need to invest in clean energy.
Furthermore, he explains that the Chief Executive will also call for deeper cooperation in health and the modernization of health systems, ensuring that professionals receive the recognition they deserve.
“The Philippines is a founding member of APEC in 1989, and we continue to be very active member in APEC. So, this is a very good opportunity for the Philippines and also for the President to push our own economic agenda,” DFA Undersecretary Jose concludes.
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