MANILA, Aug 18 - Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro co-chaired the ninth Philippines-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) at the Foreign Affairs Department today.
The meeting is expected to focus on strengthening bilateral trade, promoting cross-border investments and enhancing regional economic resilience and will be followed by the signing of the Agreed Minutes.
The two ministers are also scheduled to discuss expanded cooperation in halal and Islamic finance, energy, agriculture and food security, defence and security, as well as disaster management and emergency response.
Also present were the Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry deputy secretary-general (bilateral affairs) Datuk Syed Mohamad Hasrin Tengku Hussin, Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Datuk Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, and other senior officials.
Malaysia and the Philippines share a long-standing partnership, with the two countries celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2024.
On the economic front, the Philippines ranked as Malaysia’s 17th-largest trading partner and fifth-largest within ASEAN in 2025, while Malaysia was the Philippines’ ninth-largest trading partner globally and fourth-largest within ASEAN.
Total trade between Malaysia and the Philippines stood at RM35.21 billion (US$8.22 billion), while bilateral trade from January to May 2026 increased 9.5 per cent to RM16.71 billion (US$4.21 billion), from RM15.26 billion (US$3.46 billion) in the same period last year.
