Donald Trump in Manila

Donald Trump's Asia tour: Extravagant Manila gala masks violent protests, regional tensions

Key points:

• Donald Trump arrived in Philippines for meetings with leaders of South-East and East Asian nations
• Philippine-US relations strained by Rodrigo Duterte's anti-US sentiment
• Left-wing protester described Mr Trump as CEO of "imperialist US Government"

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte set the tone of cordiality ahead of the two days of summit meetings he will host beginning today, suggesting that despite their differences over claims to the South China Sea, the leaders should not discuss the issue.
"We have to be friends, the other hotheads would like us to confront China and the rest of the world on so many issues," Mr Duterte said at a business conference, as planes carrying heads of state and government attending the summit landed in quick succession in Manila.

"The South China Sea is better left untouched, nobody can afford to go to war. It can ill-afford a violent confrontation."

Mr Trump arrived in the Philippines at about 5:00pm (local time) on Sunday for meetings with leaders of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other East Asian nations, fresh off an Asia-Pacific summit and bilateral visit in Vietnam.
In Hanoi earlier on Sunday, the US President said he was prepared to mediate between claimants to the South China Sea, where four ASEAN countries and Taiwan contest China's sweeping claims to the busy waterway.

'Trump is CEO of the imperialist US': protester

 

Photo: Protesters burnt a flag to denounce the arrival of US President Donald Trump. (Reuters: Athit Perawongmetha)

 

But not all was well and peaceful in Manila ahead of the stop of Mr Trump's Asia tour.
Earlier on Sunday, Philippine police used water canons and batons to prevent hundreds of protesters reaching the US embassy in Manila just hours before Mr Trump arrived.

Donald Trump's Asia mission

Donald Trump's ambitions for Asia are likely to disappoint his allies, writes Ashley Townshend.

Carrying placards declaring "Dump Trump" and "Down with US Imperialism", the left-wing protesters were blocked by police in riot gear with shields and batons, and then showered with jets of water from a fire engine.
"Trump is the CEO of the imperialist US Government," said 18-year-old student Alexis Danday after the protesters were scattered.

"We know he is here to push for unfair treaties between the Philippines and the US."

In August, foreign ministers of South-East Asia and China adopted a negotiating framework for a code of conduct in the South China Sea, a move they hailed as progress but one seen by critics as a tactic to buy China time to consolidate its power.
The framework seeks to advance a 2002 Declaration of Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea, which has mostly been ignored by claimant states, particularly China, which has built seven man-made islands in disputed waters, three of them equipped with runways, surface-to-air missiles and radars.

 

Photo: Protesters kick barricades towards anti-riot police officers during a protest. (Reuters: Athit Perawongmetha)

 

In August Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, along with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, urged the countries to make sure the code of conduct would be legally binding.
The framework will be endorsed by China and the 10 nations of ASEAN in Manila on Monday, a diplomat from one of the regional bloc's countries said.

Trump's last stop on marathon Asia tour

The Philippines is Mr Trump's last stop on a marathon tour that has taken him to Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam.

All eyes on Trump

 

Donald Trump is embarking on his first Asian tour, and the US President will have to be on his best behaviour, the ABC's correspondents write.

Despite Mr Trump's "America First" policy, the visit should provide some reassurance that Washington remains committed to a region that Beijing sees as its strategic domain.
The increasing use of the phrase "Indo-Pacific" by Mr Trump and his team during their Asian tour this week, instead of the more common "Asia-Pacific" term, has been seen by analysts as an effort to depict the region as more than China-dominated.
Pacific Rim nation leaders agreed in Vietnam on Saturday to address "unfair trade practices" and "market distorting subsidies", a statement that bore the imprint of Mr Trump's efforts to reshape the global trade landscape.

 

Photo: Donald Trump boarding Air Force One in Vietnam to depart for the Philippines. (Reuters: Jonathan Ernst)

 

The summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries in Vietnam put on show the contrasting vision of the America First policy with the traditional consensus favouring multinational deals that China now seeks to champion.
Mr Trump will hold talks with Mr Duterte in Manila, where he will try to shore up relations strained by Mr Duterte's notorious anti-US sentiment and his enthusiasm for better ties with Russia and China.
Others who will be in Manila for the summit meetings include Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and leaders from Japan, Canada, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand as well as the member states of ASEAN.

Many ESC fans from all over the world are so very sad because we lost Joy Fleming - one of the best singers ever. 


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