Philippine Asian News Today Vol 19 No 20 | Page 18

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18 ASIA PACIFIC PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY October 16 - 31 , 2017

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Philippines confirms Trudeau attendance to ASEAN meet in Manila

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to attend the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN in Manila .
The ASEAN summit hosted by the Philippines will happen on November 14 .
Trudeau ’ s last visit in the Philippines was in November 2015 when he attended the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) Leaders ’ meeting hosted by the administration of then President Benigno ‘ Noynoy ’ Aquino III .
Last August , Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued an invitation for Trudeau to attend the summit in November as guest of the chair .
“ Yes , we ’ re expecting Trudeau ,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters at the sidelines of the ASEAN High Level Forum in Manila on October 19 .
Cayetano also said that United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has confirmed his attendance to the summit .
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin , however , might not attend the meetings in Manila as they will also participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) meetings in Vietnam .
“ President Xi Jinping will be in APEC while Premier Li ( Keqiang ) will be here . I think President Putin will be in APEC and then [ in Manila will be ] Prime Minister ( Dmitri ) Medvedev ,” Cayetano said .
The Department of Foreign Affairs is yet to release the final list of the heads of state who will be attending the ASEAN Summit in Manila .
Heads of state from ASEAN member states and major dialogue partners such as the US , Russia , China , Japan , South Korea , Australia and New Zealand are expected to attend the meetings .
The European Union has also been invited as guest of the ASEAN chair .
Trudeau may participate in the ASEAN-Canada 40th anniversary commemorative summit on November 14 .

Palace confirms Trump ’ s visit to PH for Asean summit in November

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United States President Donald Trump will visit Manila for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Nov . 12 and the ASEAN-US summit the following day , but will skip the East Asia Summit ( EAS ) on Nov . 14 .
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the confirmation of Trump ’ s visit to the country “ underscores the improving Philippines-US ties .” Abella said President Rodrigo Duterte , who is yet to meet Trump , was looking forward to welcoming the US President in Manila . “ We confirm US President Donald Trump ’ s visit to the Philippines this November ,” Abella said in a statement . “ President Trump will join other world leaders who will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or East Asian Summit in the Philippines ,” he added .
The Philippines is this year ’ s chair of the Asean . The 31st Asean Summit and Related Summits will be held together with Asean dialogue partners Australia , Canada , China , the European Union , India , Japan , New Zealand , Russia , South Korean and the United States . Duterte , who serves as chair of the 10-region bloc , has been critical of the US after Trump ’ s predecessor , former US president Barack Obama , questioned his war on illegal drugs .
He , however , has sought to repair ties with US after Trump assumed the presidency . Abella said the Duterte administration would make sure that foreign guests would enjoy “ world-famous Filipino hospitality ” during their stay in the Philippines for their attendance to the 31st Asean summits .
“ As host country , we hope to make the event productive and pleasant to our foreign guests ,” the presidential spokesperson said . “ We will let them experience our world-famous Filipino hospitality to make sure they would have good memories of their stay in the Philippines ,” he added . ( R . Abbey Gita / Sun- Star Philippines )