Marcos: ASEAN Digital Pact to Be Signed in November — SkimNews
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- Marcos said the DEFA, set to be formalized at the 49th ASEAN Summit in November, will establish common rules for digital trade, trusted cross-border data flows, digital payments, and online consumer protection, calling it a "roadmap" for member states.
- Marcos modeled his DEFA pitch on the ASEAN Power Grid initiative, telling the Forbes Global CEO Conference he floated an analogous "grid" concept for AI after concluding ASEAN "was not talking about AI enough" during his chairmanship.
- Marcos acknowledged the challenge of US tariffs, noting Washington imposed a 12.5 percent levy on Philippine exports in July after a 10 percent baseline from February, with the US taking 15.9 percent of Philippine exports in 2025 and bilateral goods and services trade hitting US$40.9 billion.
- Marcos reported "good progress" in long-running ASEAN-China talks on a South China Sea code of conduct but offered no timeline, four days after Chinese vessels obstructed a Philippine operation near Manila-held Thitu Island on Oct 4.
- Marcos warned a personnel "mistake" in disputed waters could escalate out of control, while reaffirming ASEAN's commitment to freedom of navigation and its determination to "de-escalate the situation."
- The Philippine economy is projected to grow 3.7 percent this year, per the World Bank figure Marcos cited, with bilateral trade figures showing a US goods trade deficit of US$8.5 billion in 2025, up 73.6 percent year-on-year.
Why it matters: With US tariffs already raised on Philippine exports and the US buying 15.9 percent of them, Marcos is signaling the Philippines will absorb trade pressure to keep commerce flowing while pushing a bloc-wide digital rulebook that could set de facto AI and data standards across Southeast Asia — at the same time as Chinese vessels are physically blocking Philippine enforcement actions at Thitu Island.
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