United States President Donald Trump will miss a key conference in the Philippines when he visits for the ASEAN Summit and related meetings this November, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said yesterday.
READ: Trump to attend ASEAN Summit in Manila
Cayetano said Trump will be in the Philippines on Nov. 12 and 13 to attend the ASEAN Summit but will miss the East Asia Summit, to be held in Pampanga on Nov. 14.
The East Asia Summit gathers all 10 ASEAN member states and their dialogue partners in the region, namely the US, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Japan, Russia, and South Korea.
“They were waiting for the schedule because he was supposed to be here until the 13th (of November) because it is a long trip for him… Now that it has been finalized that the East Asia Summit is on the 14th, his Secretary of State will be the one to attend,” Cayetano told reporters.
“It would have been great if Trump could attend all the activities, but the reality is any world leader, especially of the US, cannot spend too [many] days outside the US. The sign that he is coming, he is staying for two days…is a very strong message of friendship and cooperation.
Cayetano said Manila and Washington have been working on the bilateral meeting but the schedule has yet to be ironed out.
The Philippines is among a number of Trump stops during his 12-day swing across Asia, where he is also set to visit Japan, South Korea, China, and Vietnam.
