Trump to attend ASEAN meeting in Philippines

By Roy Ramos

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Philippines in November, the Philippine envoy to the U.S. said Wednesday.

Jose Manuel Romualdez said: “I was informed by the embassy in Washington and the U.S. embassy here that President Trump is planning to be here sometime around the second week of November to attend the ASEAN meeting.”

Earlier in April, Trump had verbally confirmed his attendance, according to Marciano Paynor Jr., director-general of operations for the ASEAN organizing council.

Apart from the 10 ASEAN members -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- several other countries will attend the meeting, including the U.S., Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

The summit will discuss regional security, piracy, cross-border kidnappings, North Korean missile tests and the South China Sea dispute.