New York: President Donald Trump will skip a
key Asia summit at the end of his trip to the region next
month.
The White House said yesterday that Trump will be
returning to the United States on Nov 14, which is the same
day as the East Asia Summit (EAS) in the Philippines. Trump is
slated to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) summit, which is also in the Philippines, the day
before but he will not stay the extra day.
Another US delegation that will attend the EAS, which
will include more than a dozen Asian nations as well as
Australia, New Zealand and Russia. The White House did not
give a reason as to Trump's absence.
The Philippines will be the final stop of Trump's 12-day,
five-nation trip his first to Asia. The trip is expected to be
dominated by Trump demanding that American allies in the
region increase pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear
weapons ambitions.
But for all of President Trump's overheated talk about
North Korea's Kim Jung Un and the country's nuclear program,
Trump will likely not make the customary presidential visit to
the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea
known as the Demilitarised Zone.
Trump has derided Kim as "Little Rocket Man" and
threatened to unleash "fire and fury" on Pyongyang if its
leaders do not abandon the weapons program.
If Trump doesn't go while in South Korea, he would be
breaking from recent presidential custom. All presidents but
one since Ronald Reagan have visited the DMZ, which has
separated the North and South for 64 years.
He will also advocate American economic interests during
his trip, which include stops in Japan and China before
travelling to Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) meetings.
The trip will conclude in the Philippines, where the
president is slated to meet with President Rodrigo Duterte,
who has been accused of human rights abuses, including killing
suspected drug dealers. The White House said Trump could raise
concerns about the program.
The Washington Post first reported Trump decision's to
skip the East Asia Summit, which mostly focuses on general
strategic issues rather than the economic matters at APEC. The
White House said Trump may attend some meetings related to the
East Asia Summit before the gathering officially begins.
