Trump may attend Manila Asean Summit in November – Rubio

MANILA, Philippines — US President Donald Trump would like to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders’ Summit in November in Manila, but there is no final word yet on his participation, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I think he’d like to. I don’t know what the schedule looks like yet. I can’t commit him to that trip because I don’t control his schedule,” Rubio said in his remarks to the media on Thursday.

“But he was there (ASEAN Summit in Malaysia) last year, and I think that’s something that we’re going to talk about. It’s an important forum, and I think APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) is a few days after. I can’t make scheduling announcements for you today,” he said.

In November 2017, Trump said that the US made clear – during his visit to the Philippines at the ASEAN meetings in Manila – that “no one owns the ocean” and underlined the principles of freedom of navigation and overflight.

Cooperation

The participating countries of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) discussed ways of enhancing cooperation on priority areas, such as maritime security, and addressing emerging threats and regional and global security issues affecting the region.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro convened the 33rd ARF on Thursday at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay.

On the future direction of the forum, the ARF adopted the Manila Plan of Action (2026-2036) which will guide activities through the next decade. The meeting also approved the Track I activities and initiatives for inter-sessional year 2026-2027, which will be implemented by ASEAN and non-ASEAN ARF co-chairs with the aim of building confidence among all participants.

The ARF is the premier ASEAN-led mechanism for dialogue and cooperation on political-security issues comprising 27 participating countries. – Michael Punongbayan

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