Manila, June 16 -- The Philippines and Germany on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their ties in key and priority areas such as trade and investment, defense, and renewable energy.

In a joint statement following his bilateral meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Malacanan Palace in Manila, Marcos said their discussion focused on multifaceted cooperation, including peace and development, defense, maritime affairs, economy, climate change, renewable energy, and labor.

Marcos described Germany as the Philippines' strong trade partner, serving as its largest trading and investment partner among European Union (EU) member states, with total bilateral trade valued at around USD5.5 billion and net foreign d...