Philippines stakes claim as Latin America’s Asean gateway
The Philippines is actively marketing itself as a strategic gateway for Latin American businesses looking to enter the Southeast Asian market. Manila is leveraging shared colonial history and cultural ties to build stronger trade and logistics connections with the Mercosur bloc.
Why it matters
This initiative reflects a broader trend of emerging economies seeking to diversify trade partnerships and reduce reliance on traditional global powers amidst geopolitical uncertainty.
The Philippines is positioning itself as Latin America’s bridge to Southeast Asia, testing whether shared history and culture can translate into hard trade figures as Asean and the Mercosur bloc look beyond their traditional partners.
Manila’s Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro made the pitch during visits to Brazil and Chile from August 10 to 13.
“Upon this human foundation, commercial bridges thrive: the Philippines stands as the premier strategic gateway for Latin American firms expanding into Asean’s US$4-trillion market,” she told an audience in Chile, referring to the two regions’ shared Spanish colonial history, Catholic faith and people-to-people ties.
Lazaro also floated the idea of expanding logistics links – citing the regional presence of Philippine port operator International Container Terminal Services – as a way to cut costs and shield supply chains from global shocks via direct trans-Pacific shipping routes.
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