Philippines, Indonesia to boost trade, security ties

SINGAPORE — In brief talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit here, President Duterte and Indonesian president Joko Widodo sought to strengthen relations between the two countries, especially in the areas of trade and security.

The two leaders met the other night at the Istana where they also bared plans to meet again for more thorough discussions on issues of mutual interest.

The Philippines and Indonesia and two other neighboring countries, Malaysia and Brunei, form part of the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA.

In their pull-aside bilateral meeting, Duterte and Widodo also discussed ways to achieve sustainable development for their respective countries and the region.

Indonesia and the Philippines have strong economic ties that date back to pre-colonial times. Cross-border trade and travel are heavy in the southernmost parts of the Philippines and the eastern part of Indonesia such as North and South Sulawesi.

There are reportedly over 126,000 boat trips between the two countries annually that are usually undetected by both Indonesian and Philippine authorities.