President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Tuesday acknowledged the enduring friendship between the two countries and expressed their shared commitment to further enhancing bilateral trade and cooperation across key areas of mutual interest.

On the sidelines of the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, President Marcos highlighted improvements in trade relations since 2023, attributing the positive development in part to the increase in Philippine automobile exports to Cambodia.

President Marcos also emphasized the importance of expanding collaboration into other key areas, including defense, to strengthen the strategic partnership and ensure regional peace and stability.

“I hope that we can move forward with those discussions in terms of trade, defense, and potential defense cooperation,” President Marcos said.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed his appreciation for the warm hospitality extended to him during his official visit to the Philippines in February 2025.

The Cambodian leader encouraged ASEAN member states to embrace emerging opportunities amid global trade disruptions, emphasizing the region’s collective potential for resilience and growth.

The Prime Minister said, “There are thousands of products where we can find complementarities” as trading partners.

Established in 1957, bilateral relations between the Philippines and Cambodia have steadily progressed across multiple domains, including trade, tourism, education, and defense. Presidential News Desk