Manila, March 4 -- The Philippines could benefit from US President Donald Trump's move to raise tariffs on imports, an economist from Standard Chartered said.

In a recent briefing in Makati City, Standard Chartered economist and foreign exchange analyst for Asia Jonathan Koh said that compared to other countries in the region, the Philippines is "a lot more insulated" from the impact of higher tariffs.

He said the Philippines could also benefit from foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, as companies look for other areas to invest in.

"The Philippines only [has] a USD4 billion trade surplus with the US. So within the region if you were to pick a country that is a potential target, probably a lot of people will pick Vietnam because th...