President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sunday said that discussions at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will include exploring a collective and constructive regional response to the newly announced U.S. tariff measures.

Before departing, President Marcos said that he had initial discussions with Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim on how ASEAN should respond to the tariffs imposed by the United States.

“We have already made informal consultations with our fellow member states and their representatives with the Chairman, PM Anwar, on this subject as it is something that we have to discuss and it is something that we have to respond to,” President Marcos said.

The President emphasized that ASEAN must take into account the diverse circumstances of its member states in responding to trade issues and the newly imposed U.S. tariff schedule.

President Marcos also noted the need for the bloc to “find a way to find consensus amongst the disparate situations that the different member states are operating under.”

The Chief Executive left Manila on Sunday for the two-day summit, reaffirming the Philippines’ commitment to regional cooperation and welfare of both Filipinos and the Southeast Asian community.

President Marcos also vowed to push for an ethical and responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) framework aligned with ASEAN values. |PND