Trade Secretary Ma Cristina Roque. — Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA: The Philippines is open to bringing down the tariffs on American goods coming to the country in a bid to strike a trade deal with US President Donald Trump, who recently announced sweeping tariffs across the globe.
Trade Secretary Ma Cristina Roque told reporters on Monday that the Philippines was “definitely” open to the idea of slashing the levies on imported goods from the United States.
“We’re really going to do that (cut tariffs on US products), actually. We will meet soon with the economic team,” Roque said.
But the options for the country are not limited there. Roque said the Philippines would also work with other peers in the Asean region in tackling the tariff issue.
“We all work together as Asean,” she said, referring to the regional bloc, of which the Philippines is a founding member.
The latest remarks from the trade chief mean the Philippines is joining the rest of the world in rushing to the negotiating table to seal a deal with Trump.
Vietnam was keen to remove all tariffs on US imports, Bloomberg reported. — The Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
