Official release
On Tuesday 22 September 2026, the UK and the Philippines held the second Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting.
The meeting was convened in Metro Manila and led by UK Minister of State for Trade, Anas Sarwar, of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and Undersecretary Allan B. Gepty of the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry.
Minister Sarwar and Undersecretary Gepty endorsed a refreshed programme of work, enhancing collaboration in agriculture, energy, infrastructure and economic development, and discussed potential cooperation in grid modernisation, civil nuclear energy, trade digitalisation, and space.
The programme of work will be delivered over the next 12-18 months through the established sector working groups, and relevant government and private sector partners.
Minister Sarwar and Undersecretary Gepty highlighted the robust cooperation between the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), such as capacity building on precision breeding, anti-microbial resistance, fisheries, and food safety, among others, as well as support in the development of the regionalisation guidelines for African Swine Fever in the Philippines, vital for protections of UK pork exports.
Building on these accomplishments, they agreed to continue collaboration in facilitating market access for key agricultural exports, and expanding cooperation to aquaculture, biotechnology, animal and plant health, and climate resilient agriculture.
They welcomed agreement to formalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Agriculture Trade and Cooperation, consolidating all agricultural initiatives under a dedicated framework.
Minister Sarwar and Undersecretary Gepty recognised the importance of energy cooperation in light of their respective energy transition plans, and prevailing challenges affecting energy security and supply. In this context, they welcomed the continued support of the UK in the development of offshore wind regulation and policy, and promotion of market opportunities in port development in the Philippines. Recognising other energy sources, both sides will scope areas for cooperation in civil nuclear energy, including radioactive waste management. Initiatives on grid modernisation, including smart grids and microgrids will be also considered under the programme of work.
The UK and the Philippines recognised the work undertaken by the Sector Working Group to finalise the Financing Framework, which will be signed on 23 September 2026, and enable UK Export Finance (UKEF) support to be considered for priority Philippine government infrastructure projects. UKEF currently has up to £5 billion of capacity available for eligible projects in the Philippines.
The UK and the Philippines recognised the progress of technical assistance projects, in the form of feasibility studies and policy frameworks, under the Growth and Investment Partnerships Framework. The Philippines also acknowledged the UK’s interest in renegotiating the Double Taxation Agreement to reflect modern international standards and current economic circumstances.
The UK and the Philippines noted the completion of key cooperation activities on cybersecurity, health technology assessment, regulatory reform and consumer protection. They also welcomed the launch of initiatives to support greater utilisation of the UK Developing Countries Trading Scheme and strengthen Philippine exporters’ readiness to access the UK market, through activities such as trade promotion, business matchmaking, and technical exchanges on market access requirements.
They recognised the potential of improving further the 2025 DCTS utilisation rate of 68%, and the introduction of more liberal rules of origin for garments. In addition, both countries committed to continue cooperation on health technology assessment, and economic and financial policy exchange under the UK-ASEAN Economic Integration Programme.
Minister Sarwar and Undersecretary Gepty agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in emerging areas such as space and trade digitalisation. They recognised that the programme of work is dynamic and may be updated as priorities and activities evolve.
Regular exchanges on multilateral and regional trade issues, including on economic security and green sector developments, will be conducted at Senior Officials’ level.
Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Philippines was £3.1 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026, with £1.3 billion UK exports and £1.8 billion UK imports.
In view of the 5th Anniversary of ASEAN-UK Dialogue Partnership this year, Minister Sarwar and Undersecretary Gepty welcomed the updated Work Plan and the new Joint Ministerial Declaration delivered at the 6th ASEAN Economic Ministers-UK Consultation. Furthermore, the Philippines acknowledged the UK’s support to one of its Priority Economic Deliverables under its 2026 ASEAN Chairship, particularly on the establishment of the ASEAN Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries.
The Philippines congratulated the UK on the completion of its Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) accession process with Canada on 1 September 2026, completing its accession with all CPTPP parties. The Philippines expressed appreciation on the UK’s support for its application to establish a CPTPP Accession Working Group.
Prior to the JETCO meeting, Minister Sarwar and Undersecretary Gepty led a roundtable with business leaders, providing an opportunity to hear directly from the private sector on challenges, opportunities, and priorities for strengthening the bilateral trade and investment relationship.
They welcomed the inputs from the business community and affirmed the importance of continued government-business engagement in identifying concrete opportunities to deepen economic ties between the United Kingdom and the Philippines.
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Source: UK Department for Business and Trade ↗ · Updated 22 Sep 2026, 6:53 pm IST
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Last checked 2 Nov 2026, 5:41 pm IST · Coverage & methodology