Manila: Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is leading the country's delegation to the 9th Philippines-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in Manila on Monday, with stronger bilateral trade, cross-border investments, and regional economic resilience among the key issues on the agenda. According to Nam News Network, the Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) stated that Mohamad is co-chairing the meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro. The JCM serves as the highest bilateral mechanism between Malaysia and the Philippines. This meeting will provide a crucial platform for both nations to review ongoing bilateral cooperation and strategically navigate the current global landscape and economic uncertainties. The two ministers are also expected to explore expanded cooperation in the halal and Islamic finance ecosystem, energy cooperation, agriculture and food security, defense, security cooperation, disaster management, and emergency response. Wisma Putra highlighted the add ed significance of the visit, as the Philippines is the current ASEAN Chair. Malaysia is reaffirming its commitment to work closely with Manila, not only bilaterally but also by supporting its ASEAN Chairmanship. This will further underscore Malaysia's commitment to working closely with the Philippines to safeguard regional stability, promote unified responses to global challenges, and sustain economic growth during these unprecedented times. The 9th JCM will also follow up on discussions held during the 8th JCM in Kuala Lumpur on October 15 and 16, 2024. Malaysia and the Philippines share a long-standing partnership, with the two countries having celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2024. On the economic front, the Philippines ranked as Malaysia's 17th-largest trading partner and fifth-largest within ASEAN in 2025, while Malaysia was the Philippines' ninth-largest trading partner globally and fourth-largest within ASEAN. Total trade between Malaysia and the Philippines stood at RM35.21 billion (U S$8.22 billion), while bilateral trade from January to May 2026 increased 9.5 percent to RM16.71 billion (US$4.21 billion), from RM15.26 billion (US$3.46 billion) in the same period last year.