On 18 October 2024, H.E. Mr. Enrique A. Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, paid an official visit to Thailand at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The official visit is a part of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Philippines in 2024.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines had a bilateral meeting and co-chaired the 6th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation at Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. Representatives from relevant agencies in Thailand and the Philippines also attended to follow up and discuss on ways to enhance cooperation.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the positive dynamism of bilateral cooperation and underscored the commitment to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Both sides also agreed to promote the exchange of visits between the Prime Minister of Thailand and the President of the Philippines in the future.

Both sides discussed cooperation to address transnational crimes, especially cyber scamming operations, which has become common threats in the region, as well as enhancing cooperation on the defense industry. Both agreed that economic cooperation could be further expanded, such as increasing rice exports from Thailand to support the Philippines’ food security, Thai investments which support the Philippines’ priority areas such as agriculture and energy. Both sides also discussed increasing tourism cooperation, especially more direct flights and cruise tourism.

Both sides discussed enhancement of cooperation on labour management, development cooperation, education, maritime heritage management, and creative industry.

The Ministers also discussed regional issues, coordination under ASEAN, Myanmar, the South China Sea, and well-being of their nationals under the current situation in the Middle East.