Philippines, UAE to sign free trade deal

December 30, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is set to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in mid-January, a move expected to elevate bilateral relations to new heights.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters that the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) would take place sometime between January 11 and 14 in the UAE.

Roque said she will fly to the UAE with President Marcos and Finance Secretary Frederick Go for the signing of the CEPA, the Philippines’ first FTA in the Middle East.

The CEPA aims to expand bilateral trade and investment opportunities between the Philippines and the UAE.

Earlier, Trade Undersecretary Allan Gepty said the CEPA would cover Philippine products of interest, including bananas, pineapples, other tropical fruits, electronics, and machinery, as well as transport equipment.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the UAE was the Philippines’ 18th biggest trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting to $1.83 billion last year.

In 2024, Philippine exports to the UAE amounted to $390.40 million, while its imports from the UAE reached $1.44 billion.

The UAE also hosts one of the largest populations of overseas Filipinos in the Middle East, as well as some Philippine brands and businesses.

Roque said she is set to meet with companies in the UAE to discuss business opportunities in the Philippines.

“We really want (to attract) manufacturing,” she said.

Roque said the Philippine government also hopes to sign FTAs currently being negotiated with Chile and the European Union next year.

The government is pushing for more FTAs to diversify the country’s export markets.

Diversifying export markets has become more important amid uncertainties related to the United States’ trade policy changes.

“We really need to bring down the tariff so we can be very competitive,” Roque said.

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