Without the US president at two major upcoming summits, Chinese President Xi Jinping will have more space to advocate Chinese trade and development projects, such as his ambitious Belt and Road Initiative
US President Donald Trump will skip two major summits in Asia in November, a move that could stoke concerns in the region about the U. S.’s reliability as a counterweight to China.
The White House said on Friday that vice-president Mike Pence would travel to Singapore for an 18-nation summit hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, before heading to Papua New Guinea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering.
The Apec summit is normally attended by 21 leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The decision removes one potential avenue for Trump to meet with Xi as a trade war between the US and China deepens. Both leaders are expected to attend the Group of 20 summit in Argentina later in November.
Trump’s absence is also likely to fuel concerns among Asian leaders who want the US to push back against China’s increasing economic and military might.
Trump administration officials have been promoting a new “Indo-Pacific” strategy to bolster its commitment to the fast-growing region, after Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and questioned the cost of security alliances with Japan and South Korea.
“His absence would doubtlessly solidify the impression that America has essentially abandoned its traditional presence in the Asia-Pacific, not to mention the non-starter Indo-Pacific,” said Oh Ei Sun, senior adviser for international affairs at the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute in Kuala Lumpur.
Without Trump, Xi will have more space to advocate Chinese trade and development projects, such as his ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.
