The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is not scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2025 in South Korea this week. According to DFA Spokesperson Asec. Angelica Escalona, there are no plans yet for a separate meeting between the three leaders.
Escalona explained that APEC focuses on economic issues, thus excluding political and security issues such as the West Philippine Sea. He added that officials will discuss tariff and trade issues currently affecting member countries.
Marcos met with Trump in Washington D.C. in July 2025 to discuss the imposed 20% tariff on Philippine products, while his last meeting with Xi was in January 2023 regarding maritime issues. At this year's APEC, Marcos is focusing on AI-powered Philippines 2028 and will deliver a speech at the APEC CEO Summit to promote digital transformation.
It is not yet certain whether Marcos will meet with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, but Escalona said the president will meet with businessmen from priority sectors such as semiconductors and manufacturing.
KMarcos' schedule also includes attending a gathering of Filipinos in Busan and a wreath-laying ceremony at the UN Memorial Cemetery in memory of the 7,420 Filipino soldiers who fought in the Korean War.K
