MANILA, Philippines — President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be attending the in-person Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Thailand from November 18 to 19, his team announced Wednesday.
The Marcos team said he was personally invited by Thai Chargé d’Affaires Thawat Sumitmo to the first in-person APEC Summit since 2018 during the courtesy call of Association of Southeast Asian Nation ambassadors on the incoming president.
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This will be Marcos' first gathering with other heads of states as Philippine president.
Diplmats however have been paying courtesy calls on the incoming president in the past weeks, although only a few face the media to answer questions on their meeting. Press statements are sent out within the day on discussions.
The APEC Summit is a regional economic forum established in 1989 and participated in by 21 member economies — including the Philippines, the US and China — which make up over half of the global gross domestic product.
This year’s gathering will focus on post-pandemic recovery, particularly on the safe resumption of cross-border travel, revival tourism and the services sector, facilitation of business mobility and investments into health security.
The summit will also touch on open trade and investment, a better business environment, regional economic integration, digitalization and innovation, a rules-based multilateral trading system, and climate change. — Xave Gregorio with a report from Kristine Joy Patag