Trump to Attend 3 Asian Summits in November: Pence
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US President Donald Trump will attend three summits in Asia in November, Vice President Mike Pence said in Jakarta during a visit to the headquarters of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday.
Pence said in a statement after meeting the secretary general of ASEAN that Trump would attend the US-ASEAN summit and the East Asia summit in the Philippines, as well as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam, Reuters reported.
He said the Trump administration would work with ASEAN on security issues and trade and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. China claims most of the South China Sea, but has overlapping claims with a number of Southeast Asian countries.
ASEAN is a regional organization comprising ten Southeast Asian states which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic integration amongst its members. Since its formation on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, the organization's membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Its principal aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members, alongside the protection of regional stability and the provision of a mechanism for member countries to resolve differences peacefully.
