Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on March 1 agreed to bolster the two countries’ political and security cooperation and emphasised the importance of maintaining peace in the East Sea (also known as South China Sea).

According to philstar.com, speaking at a joint press conference after the two leaders' talks, Marcos said that the two countries, as immediate neighbours, recognise the importance of maintaining peace and security in the region.

He said the two countries agree to continue their cooperation on political and security matters, rekindling the Joint Commission Meetings and joint initiatives to combat transnational crime and terrorism.

For his part, Anwar said that he shared Marcos’ position to take up the matter at a multilateral level among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In addition, the two leaders agreed to boost trade and investment exchanges, with a special focus on the halal industry, agriculture and food security, and the digital economy./.