Jokowi said the regional architecture should help Asean reach the goals of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and East Asia Summit Bali Principles 2011 – peace, friendly relationship and co-operation among the people of Southeast Asia. The outreach is a core element of Obama’s attempt to focus USA policy on Asia in order to counter China’s dominance in the region and ensure a foothold in growing markets.
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The RCEP countries are the 10 Asean member states plus Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. On opposing sides of many global issues, the USA and Russian Federation are nonetheless trying to broker a deal to address the Syrian civil war and perhaps even partner militarily there. Tuesday, Duterte tried to walk the comment back.
Could the U.S pivot to Asia be undermined by tension with the Philippines?
The White House now says that Obama may still meet with Duterte, but only informally.
The flap over Duterte’s remarks started when a reporter asked him how he meant to explain the extrajudicial killings of drug dealers to Obama.
Later, Duterte expressed regret for his comments that have caused local and global uproar.
Second, US-Philippine ties are no sideshow.
But former Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said with the cancellation of the meeting, the two countries just missed a “golden opportunity”. He particularly asked President Duterte on the subject of death penalty.
“For the last four decades, Laotians have continued to live under the shadow of war”, Mr Obama said.
Earlier Wednesday, Obama paid tribute to survivors maimed by some 80 million unexploded bombs the US dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War. Obama has announced the U.S.is roughly doubling financial help for bomb-clearing efforts to about $90 million over three years.
“I am really happy that the first US president, Obama, is coming and visiting our country”, Manithong said.
“I do not respond to anybody but to the people of the Republic of the Philippines”.
Duterte has repeatedly poured scorn on critics, usually larding it with curses.
He has accused a senator heading an inquiry into the killings of getting payoffs from drug lords. “That whole conversation enables individual countries, whether it’s the Philippines or someone else, to stand up and say ‘There’s no moral high ground for the United States anymore”.
The talks between the two leaders are likely to focus on terrorism, maritime security, disaster management, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). These claims by China overlap with those of the Philippines and some other Asean countries.
“We can continue to chart positive trajectory for Asean-China relations”.
He had been scheduled to meet Mr Obama separately, but that meeting was called off by the Obama administration.
Shortly before flying to Vientiane, Duterte warned he would not be lectured by Obama over a war on drug crime in the Philippines that has claimed almost 3,000 lives in just over two months – an average of 44 a day. Do not just throw away questions and statements.
“I’m very proud of the work you are doing”, Obama told Silamphan.
Inflammatory remarks are central to the brash public persona of Duterte, who was elected in May.
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“We will be wallowing in the mud like pigs if you do that to me”, he said.
