The Philippines hopes to launch formal free trade agreement negotiations with the European Union "very soon," Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo told Agence France-Presse in an interview Monday. The Southeast Asian nation, which depends heavily on trade with China, wants to expand its economic relations with other countries to achieve greater "resiliency," Manalo said. "We're hoping... to very soon begin free trade negotiations with the EU," he said. The Philippines has been in preliminary talks about a free trade deal with the 27-nation bloc for months.   https://www.manilatimes.net/2024/03/04/news/ph-hopes-to-launch-eu-free-trade-negotiations-very-soon/1935271 (ICE SINGAPORE)

Fonte notizia: The Manila Times, 4 March 2024