According to a report by Hong Kong's English-language newspaper The South China Morning Post on October 2, U.S. President Donald Trump plans to attend an ASEAN summit in the Philippines later this month. This will be his second consecutive attendance at such a summit during his tenure as president.
Trump attended the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur last year, and earlier during his first term, he went to Manila to attend a meeting in 2017.
Sources told The South China Morning Post that the White House is discussing a plan where Trump would first travel to Manila to attend the summit, and then hold bilateral talks with Filipino President Marcos the next day.
According to a source, Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, which served as the ASEAN rotating chairmanship this year, have been lobbying U.S. leaders to attend the event. They hope that Trump’s presence will demonstrate Washington’s continued support and engagement in the region.
Another source added that Trump’s visit coincides with the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Philippines, and it is also an effort to reassure its Indo-Pacific allies.
According to The South China Morning Post, the United States has long sought closer relations with Southeast Asia. However, the region is deeply troubled by the inconsistency in the U.S.’s approach to this region, such as the frequent absences of U.S. leaders from annual summits.
In recent years, relations between China and the Philippines have faced continuous challenges. Sources claim that Trump's visit will "send a signal," and he does not need to make statements unfavorable to China. At the same time, it will also serve to reaffirm the United States' political, economic, and security involvement in Southeast Asia.
The US Department of State previously claimed regarding the South China Sea issue that, “The US will stand with the Philippines to jointly address China's increasingly dangerous provocative actions.”
A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the United States is not a party to the South China Sea issue, and has no right to interfere in maritime issues between the parties involved. The US should stop making false statements and provocative remarks, as well as stopping its support for the Philippines's provocative actions in the South China Sea.
