Landmark ASEAN digital pact will guide region on AI, digital economy: Marcos

Parties are also making “good progress” on the code of conduct for the South China Sea, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said at a forum in Singapore.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during the Forbes Global CEO conference at Shangri-La on Oct 8, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ili Mansor)

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SINGAPORE: The signing of a landmark regional digital economy agreement at the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in November will allow for a roadmap for different countries to abide by, especially in sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday (Oct 8).

He stressed that discussions surrounding important industries like AI could not be limited to “just one region or just one sector”.

“The (agreement) tries to put together a roadmap, a guide as to what we would like to achieve, how the different countries will play (their part) … (and) how then this fits in with the rest of the world,” Marcos said in a dialogue with Forbes Media chairman and editor-in-chief Steve Forbes.

The Philippines is this year’s ASEAN chair, and negotiations for the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) concluded in May.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less DEFA was first announced in 2023 and, among other things, establishes common rules and frameworks that facilitate digital trade, supports trusted cross-border data flows, enhances digital payments and electronic transactions, and strengthens online consumer protection.

DEFA was first announced in 2023 and, among other things, establishes common rules and frameworks that facilitate digital trade, supports trusted cross-border data flows, enhances digital payments and electronic transactions, and strengthens online consumer protection.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Forbes Media chairman and editor-in-chief Steve Forbes during the Forbes Global CEO conference at Shangri-La on Oct 8, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ili Mansor)

Marcos said that when the Philippines took over the ASEAN chairmanship, he noticed the bloc “was not talking about AI enough”.

He said that he took the idea of the ASEAN Power Grid – an initiative to connect member countries' electricity networks – and floated the idea of a similar concept for AI.

“I'm happy to be able to report that we now have what is the DEFA … which we are going to formalise in November when we have the 49th summit,” Marcos said at a lunch dialogue on the second and last day of the Forbes Global CEO Conference.

Asked by Forbes about tariffs, Marcos said his country would have to “deal with whatever comes down the pike” – be it tariffs imposed by the United States, the European Union or other entities.

In July, the US imposed a fresh 12.5 percent tariff on Philippine exports after President Donald Trump approved penalties on trading partners that Washington said failed to adopt adequate safeguards against goods made with forced labour. Prior to that, Philippine exports to the US were subject to a 10 per cent baseline tariff from February until July.

Exports to the US made up 15.9 per cent of the Philippines’ total exports in 2025, clocking the highest export value among its trading partners, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Goods and services trade between the US and Philippines totalled US$40.9 billion in 2025, an increase of 10.9 per cent from 2024, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.

The US’ goods trade deficit with the Philippines was US$8.5 billion in 2025, an increase of 73.6 per cent from 2024. Its services trade deficit with the Philippines was US$3.6 billion in 2025, an 8.6 per cent decrease from 2024.

Cranes and stacks of containers at the Manila International Container Terminal at the Port of Manila in Manila, Philippines, Aug 11, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)

Trade has been the key element to successful economies, Marcos said, and the Philippines would do whatever it takes to encourage trade.

“Whatever adjustments that we have to make, whatever negotiations we have to undertake, whatever agreements we have to come to, whatever compromises we might have to make (when it comes to tariffs), let us make them, and in a way so that trade continues to be encouraged,” he said.

The Philippine economy is expected to grow by 3.7 per cent this year, according to the World Bank.

ON THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Asked by Forbes about the South China Sea and progress on the code of conduct that ASEAN and China are working towards, Marcos said parties are making “good progress” on the code but did not provide further updates on the negotiations.

Since the 1990s, ASEAN and China have been trying to negotiate a framework to manage disputes in the South China Sea. China claims much of the waterway via its nine-dash line and has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.

The Philippines had said it aimed to advance the long-delayed code of conduct when it assumed the ASEAN chairmanship this year.

“We must maintain the freedom of navigation, not only for ourselves but also for the rest of the world. And so, the code of conduct takes on that very particular importance, and that is why we still continue to be optimistic,” said Marcos.

Philippine and Chinese armed forces have had confrontations in the disputed waters. On Oct 4, the Philippine Coast Guard said Chinese vessels obstructed a Philippine law enforcement operation against a foreign fishing vessel suspected of dynamite fishing near the ​ Manila-held Thitu Island in the South China Sea.

At the dialogue, Marcos expressed his concern that a mistake by personnel on the ground may lead to something “that goes out of control”.

“But we are determined to come to an agreement and to hopefully de-escalate the situation,” he said.

Marcos is on his fifth visit to Singapore from Oct 7 to 11 at the invitation of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. Both leaders are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional developments, and Marcos has also been invited to attend the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix from Oct 9 to 11.

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菲律宾总统小费迪南德·马科斯在新加坡的一个论坛上表示，各方在南海行为准则方面也取得了“良好进展”。

2026年10月8日，菲律宾总统小费迪南德·马科斯在香格里拉酒店出席福布斯全球CEO大会。（图片：CNA/Ili Mansor）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：菲律宾总统小费迪南德·马科斯周四（10月8日）表示，11月在第49届东南亚国家联盟（东盟）峰会上签署的具有里程碑意义的区域数字经济协议，将为不同国家制定遵守路线图，尤其是在人工智能（AI）等领域。

他强调，围绕人工智能等重要行业的讨论不能局限于“一个地区或一个行业”。

“该协议试图制定一份路线图，一份指南，说明我们想要实现的目标，各个国家将如何发挥各自的作用……（以及）这如何与世界其他地区相协调，”马科斯在与福布斯传媒董事长兼总编辑史蒂夫·福布斯的对话中说道。

菲律宾是今年的东盟轮值主席国，东盟数字经济框架协议（DEFA）的谈判已于5月结束。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小的谜题，强大的脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 DEFA于2023年首次发布，其内容包括：建立促进数字贸易的通用规则和框架，支持可信的跨境数据流动，增强数字支付和电子交易，以及加强在线消费者保护。

DEFA于2023年首次公布，其内容包括建立促进数字贸易的通用规则和框架、支持可信的跨境数据流动、增强数字支付和电子交易以及加强在线消费者保护。

2026年10月8日，菲律宾总统小费迪南德·马科斯与福布斯传媒董事长兼总编辑史蒂夫·福布斯在香格里拉酒店出席福布斯全球CEO大会。（图片：CNA/Ili Mansor）

马科斯表示，菲律宾接任东盟轮值主席国后，他注意到该组织“对人工智能的讨论还不够”。

他说，他借鉴了东盟电网（一项连接成员国电网的倡议）的理念，并提出了将类似概念应用于人工智能的想法。

“我很高兴地宣布，我们现在已经有了DEFA……我们将在11月举行的第49届峰会上正式确定它，”马科斯在福布斯全球CEO大会第二天（也是最后一天）的午餐对话中说道。

当《福布斯》杂志就关税问题询问马科斯时，他表示，他的国家将不得不“应对任何可能发生的情况”——无论是美国、欧盟还是其他实体征收的关税。

7月，美国对菲律宾出口商品加征12.5%的新关税。此前，美国总统特朗普批准对一些贸易伙伴实施制裁，华盛顿方面称这些伙伴未能采取充分的保障措施，防止商品使用强迫劳动生产。在此之前，菲律宾对美出口商品从2月到7月一直被征收10%的基本关税。

根据菲律宾统计局的数据，到 2025 年，菲律宾对美国的出口额占其出口总额的 15.9%，在其贸易伙伴中出口额最高。

据美国贸易代表办公室称，2025年美国和菲律宾之间的商品和服务贸易总额为409亿美元，比2024年增长10.9%。

2025年，美国对菲律宾的货物贸易逆差为85亿美元，比2024年增长73.6%。2025年，美国对菲律宾的服务贸易逆差为36亿美元，比2024年下降8.6%。

2025年8月11日，菲律宾马尼拉港马尼拉国际集装箱码头，起重机和成堆的集装箱。（图片：路透社/Eloisa Lopez）

马科斯表示，贸易一直是经济成功的关键要素，菲律宾将竭尽全力鼓励贸易。

他说：“无论我们需要做出怎样的调整，无论我们需要进行怎样的谈判，无论我们需要达成怎样的协议，无论我们需要做出怎样的妥协（在关税方面），让我们去做，并且以一种能够继续鼓励贸易的方式去做。”

世界银行预测，菲律宾经济今年将增长3.7%。

在南海

当《福布斯》就南海问题以及东盟和中国正在努力制定的行为准则的进展情况询问马科斯时，他表示各方在准则方面取得了“良好进展”，但没有提供有关谈判的进一步最新信息。

自上世纪90年代以来，东盟和中国一直在努力就南海争端管理框架进行谈判。中国通过其“九段线”声称对南海大部分水域拥有主权，并与菲律宾、马来西亚、越南和文莱存在部分重叠的主权声索。

菲律宾曾表示，今年担任东盟轮值主席国后，将致力于推进这项拖延已久的行为准则。

“我们必须维护航行自由，这不仅是为了我们自己，也是为了世界其他地区。因此，行为准则具有非常特殊的意义，这也是我们仍然保持乐观的原因，”马科斯说。

菲律宾和中国军队在争议水域发生过冲突。10月4日，菲律宾海岸警卫队称，中国船只阻挠了菲律宾执法部门对一艘涉嫌在南海马尼拉控制的铁图岛附近使用炸药捕鱼的外国渔船的行动。

在对话中，马科斯表达了他的担忧，认为一线人员的失误可能会导致“失控”的情况发生。

“但我们决心达成协议，希望能够缓和局势，”他说。

马科斯应新加坡总理黄循财的邀请，于10月7日至11日第五次访问新加坡。预计两位领导人将讨论双边合作和地区发展局势。马科斯还受邀出席10月9日至11日举行的F1新加坡大奖赛。

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