MANILA, January 10 ------ The Philippines and Indonesia “will seize the opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties” while addressing the South China Sea and other issues side-by-side, the two countries’ foreign ministers said, hours before Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s arrival for his official visit in Manila.
Among the issues discussed during the 7th Philippines-Indonesia Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) the primary dialogue mechanism between the 2 countries when reviewing their mutual collaborations include China’s expansionist agenda in the South China Sea, the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and the ongoing war in Gaza. “The current geopolitical challenges both within and beyond our region continue to have an impact in our economies,” Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a press briefing. “Our time honored partnership has positively evolved in a way that has enabled us to address the issues,” he said, without divulging further details on how the Philippines and Indonesia plan to hurdle the issues. “We will seize opportunities, identify initiatives, and build on gains of over 7 decades of cooperation between the Philippines and Indonesia,” he added.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi underscored that her country is “willing to work together with all ASEAN member states to finalize a Code of Conduct as soon as possible.” “This is an important step to ensure that the South China Sea remains a sea of peace, stability and prosperity,” she said. “We will seize the momentum to strengthen our bilateral ties in various sectors.. and to address regional and global challenges together,” she added.
Indonesia is also “committed to explore more opportunities in investment” in the Philippines, Marsudi said. “We welcome the growth of our bilateral trade over the last 5 years despite the global crisis,” she said. “Indonesia also appreciates the trust given to Indonesian state-owned enterprises to participate in a number of projects in the Philippines,” she added.
As of 2021, bilateral trade between the two countries is at $9.5 billion, with Indonesian exports amounting to $8.6 billion, and imports from the Philippines pegged at only $1.2 billion, Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Agus Widjojo earlier said. The Philippines imports most of its coal from Indonesia, according to data from the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area. Other imports from Indonesia include motor vehicles, palm oil, paper and diesel. The Philippines, on the other hand, exports copper wires and other machine parts to Indonesia.
In 2022, during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Indonesia, the two countries inked a 5-year plan of action between Indonesia and the Philippine, and renewed the 1997 Agreement on Defense and Security Cooperative Activities as well as a Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation. “We committed to continue implementing our Plan of Action towards further elevating our bilateral relations to new heights, especially as we mark the 75th Anniversary of Philippines-Indonesia Diplomatic Relations this year," Manalo said. Marsudi also thanked the Philippines for the safe deportation of 246 Indonesian trafficking victims last year, as well as the return of 73 wildlife species to their habitats in Indonesia.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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