Trump to hop a flight home from the Philippines instead of attending East Asia Summit
Even though he has been heavily focused on North Korea, the US president will end his tour immediately after the Asean meeting
US President Donald Trump will skip the East Asia Summit next month despite being in host country the Philippines at the time, opting to head home from his trip to the region on the day of the meeting instead.
The White House said Trump would be returning to the United States on November 14, which is the same day as the East Asia Summit. Trump is, however, expected to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit – also in the Philippines – the day before.
Another US delegation 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.
But for all of President Trump’s overheated talk about North Korea’s Kim Jung-un and the country’s nuclear programme, Trump is unlikely to make the usual 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 programme.
If Trump does not go while in South Korea, he would be breaking from recent presidential custom. All presidents apart from 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 expected to meet 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 programme.
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.
