WASHINGTON — President Trump will travel to the Philippines next month for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit before heading on to China, according to the White House.
Trump will participate in the summit in Manila on Nov. 16 before going to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, which will take place from Nov. 17-19, the White House said.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been inviting Trump to visit his country for some time, a US official said.
Trump’s last official trip to the Philippines took place in 2017 when he attended the ASEAN summit. Last year, the president attended the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and APEC in Gyeongju, South Korea, as he works to maintain US influence in Asia.
The president’s goal this year is to demostrate America’s commitment to its allies in Southeast Asia and advance US economic and national security objectives, according to the White House official.
Rumors had been swirling that Trump intended to attend the ASEAN summit this year, but now the White House has officially confirmed it.
Trump will then meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in person for the third time this year. Xi last visited with Trump during a summit at the White House last month.
Trump also met Xi in May in Beijing. The two global superpower leaders are slated to meet in person at the Group of 20 Summit in Miami in December, too.
Both leaders have been working to mend US-Sino relations.
During the summit last month, which marked Xi’s first White House visit since 2015, Washington and Beijing announced various diplomatic initiatives, including an artificial intelligence alert system between the two countries, and Xi invited 100,000 young Americans to China for an education exchange.
In addition, the two sides announced an extension of the nation’s trade truce, which was set to expire next month. It will remain in effect until Jan. 10, 2027, buying two more months for negotiations.
Despite all the pomp and niceties, tensions still remain between both sides.
Talks to date have not appeared to yield any sort of significant breakthrough on Taiwan, though Trump has continued to withhold $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.
The US is also maintaining key exports controls on China, including for critical technology chips. China has been leveraging its domination of rare earths amid its negotiations with the US on trade.
