Obama said he asked his staff to determine if meeting with Duterte while in Laos would still be productive.
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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will be attending 14th ASEAN-India Summit and 11th East Asia Summit at Vientiane, capital city of Laos from 7 September 2016 to 8 September 2016. The Philippines also was preparing for talks with China, but fixing ties with the US has become a top priority after Obama canceled the summit.
He has openly questioned whether the us would come to the Philippines’ aid in the event of armed conflict with China over maritime territorial disputes.
“Given our history here, I believe the United States has a moral obligation to help Laos heal”, Obama said in announcing a $90 million US commitment over three years.
Duterte later issued a statement expressing regret for his remarks.
The president has also engaged in a war of words with the United Nations, threatening to withdraw from the worldwide agency, calling it “useless” and accusing it of failing to end war, hunger and terrorism.
“All of the attention frankly was on those comments, and therefore not on the very substantive agenda that we have with the Philippines”.
Prior to the cancellation of the meeting, President Obama appeared calm and cool in response to Duterte’s recent criticisms.
“Fighting narco-trafficking is tough”, Obama said in China before departing for Laos. Obama vowed to work with the United Nations to tighten sanctions against Pyongyang but said the door wasn’t closed to a more functional relationship.
His visit is a first for a sitting US president, and Obama used his address to acknowledge the impact the Vietnam War had – and is still having – on Laos. He announced that Washington would provide an additional $90 million over three years to help clear unexploded ordnance, which has killed or wounded over 20,000 people.
“Courts – resulted in severe penalties that would be imposed on the United States unless those requirements were eliminated”, the groups said.
The gathering will see the 10 Asean members meet by themselves, then with leaders from the US, China Japan, South Korea and China.
DUTERTE AND HIS COLOURFUL WORDS Duterte won the presidency in May as he promised to suppress crime and wipe out drugs and drug dealers.
Duterte has poured scorn previously on critics, usually larding it with curses. And U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also part of the “son of a bitch” club, after Ban said the drug killings were “illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms”.
He has accused a senator heading an inquiry into the killings of getting payoffs from drug lords.
According to a draft of a final statement ASEAN is scheduled to release on Thursday, the region’s leaders will express strong concern about Beijing’s construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, which Southeast Asian countries fear could destabilize the region.
At the heart of this issue is the rise of a newly influential China balanced against an established power – the United States – and where Asean falls into the mix. And while there have been a few exceptions, most have been remarkably timid about China’s sometimes overbearing dominance – especially with regards to the South China Sea.
The Philippines has been central in this effort due to an worldwide court case it brought and won against Beijing.
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“How many died? Six hundred”, Duterte said Monday.
