MANILA, Philippines — US President Donald Trump has arrived in the country for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Meetings.
Trump came from Da Nang, Vietnam for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meet where he and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met face to face for the first time.
Trump and Duterte are also expected to hold a bilateral meeting on November 13.
The American leader will attend the 40th Anniversary of US-ASEAN relations during the summit on the same day at 1:15 p.m.
Ahead of his visit, two members of the US Congress, Reps. Randy Hultgren (R-Illinois) and James McGovern (D-Massachusetts), co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, called on Trump to use his meeting with Duterte as an opportunity to confront the Philippine leader about the reported cases of extrajudicial killings.
The Philippines is Trump's last stop on his tour of Asia. He has had bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang before arriving in Manila.
Trump and Duterte, who were both elected as president of their respective countries in 2016, have likewise gained attention for their firebrand language.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Leo Herrera-Lim has earlier said that the Philippines and the US have "convergence" on "national security, both at the country level and at the regional level" and "the desire to grow the different engines of global economy."
Trump is expected to stay in the country until November 14.
More info at:http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/11/12/1757247/donald-trump-philippines-asean
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