Marcos has no meetings with Trump, Xi at APEC — DFA

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not hold meetings with United States President Donald Trump or Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday, October 28. 

“There is no scheduled meeting with the US leader,” DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona told reporters at a Malacañang press briefing. Asked if Marcos would meet with Xi, Escalona replied: “Also no scheduled meeting.”

Escalona said the president’s focus during the October 30 to November 2 event will be on advancing the country's economic interests, engaging with APEC business leaders, and strengthening cooperation with other member economies.  

Marcos is expected to attend the two formal sessions of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which will produce a leaders’ declaration and statements on artificial intelligence, demographic change, and cultural and creative industries. He will also address the APEC CEO Summit and hold dialogues with the APEC Business Advisory Council.

While declining to name specific companies, Escalona said Marcos will meet “various business leaders and executives” one-on-one from priority sectors, including manufacturing and semiconductors.  

The president will also meet with the Filipino community in Busan, where more than 70,000 Filipinos reside, over half of which (some 42,000) are migrant workers.

Escalona said two possible bilateral meetings are being “looked at” but remain under discussion. She did not identify which countries these may involve.

Marcos met Xi for the first time in his presidency on the sidelines of the 2022 APEC summit in Bangkok. 

The president is currently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. He will return to the Philippines on Tuesday night.