On 22 September 2026, the UK and the Philippines held the second Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting in Metro Manila, led by UK Minister of State for Trade Anas Sarwar and the Philippines’ Undersecretary Allan B. Gepty of the Department of Trade and Industry. The pair endorsed a refreshed programme of work spanning agriculture, energy, infrastructure and economic development, with new ground explored in grid modernisation, civil nuclear energy, trade digitalisation and space — all to be delivered over the next 12 to 18 months through existing sector working groups.
Sector-by-Sector Commitments
The refreshed programme builds on years of collaboration between the two countries, formalising existing initiatives and opening the door to new areas of cooperation across several key sectors.
Agriculture
Ministers highlighted ongoing cooperation between the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture and the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, covering precision breeding, anti-microbial resistance, fisheries and food safety, as well as support for African Swine Fever regionalisation guidelines that protect UK pork exports. Both sides agreed to expand this work into aquaculture, biotechnology, animal and plant health, and climate-resilient agriculture, and welcomed plans to formalise a dedicated Memorandum of Understanding on Agriculture Trade and Cooperation.
Energy
With energy security a shared priority, the UK will continue supporting offshore wind regulation and port development opportunities in the Philippines. Both countries also agreed to scope cooperation on civil nuclear energy, including radioactive waste management, along with grid modernisation initiatives such as smart grids and microgrids.
Infrastructure
A Financing Framework — finalised by the Sector Working Group and due to be signed on 23 September 2026 — will unlock UK Export Finance support for priority Philippine infrastructure projects, with up to £5 billion in capacity available. Both sides also noted progress on feasibility studies and policy frameworks under the Growth and Investment Partnerships Framework, and the Philippines acknowledged UK interest in renegotiating their Double Taxation Agreement.
Economic Development
The two countries wrapped up cooperation activities on cybersecurity, health technology assessment, regulatory reform and consumer protection, while launching new initiatives to boost Philippine exporters’ access to the UK market through the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). With 2025 DCTS utilisation at 68%, both sides see room to grow this further, aided by more liberal rules of origin for garments.
Emerging Areas and Wider Ties
Space and trade digitalisation were flagged as new areas for exploration, alongside regular senior-official exchanges on economic security and green sector developments. Total UK-Philippines trade in goods and services reached £3.1 billion in the four quarters to Q1 2026 (£1.3 billion in UK exports, £1.8 billion in UK imports). The meeting also touched on the UK’s completed CPTPP accession with Canada and support for the Philippines’ own CPTPP Accession Working Group application.
Note: Ahead of the JETCO meeting, Minister Sarwar and Undersecretary Gepty held a roundtable with business leaders to gather private-sector input — a reminder that this bilateral agenda is shaped as much by industry priorities as by government dialogue.
Conclusion
The second UK-Philippines JETCO meeting shows a relationship moving from broad commitments to concrete delivery — a financing framework ready for signature, a new agriculture MOU in the works, and fresh exploration into nuclear energy and space cooperation. Paired with rising bilateral trade and the UK’s expanding CPTPP membership, this refreshed programme of work positions the UK-Philippines partnership as an increasingly active piece of Britain’s broader ASEAN engagement.
