Southeast Asian foreign ministers held ahead of a landmark ASEAN summit that will welcome East Timor as the bloc’s 11th member and mark U.S. President Donald Trump’s first trip to Asia since returning to the White House.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet commander says China has failed to intimidate rival claimant states into surrendering their sovereign interests in the South China Sea despite its intensifying “bullying tactics” and the United States and other allied countries are ready to further boost deterrence against Beijing’s aggression.
The Philippines' ambassador to the U.S. said President Donald Trump will host his Philippine counterpart in the White House to discuss how the longtime treaty allies can further deepen their security and economic engagements and bolster deterrence against aggression in Asian security flashpoints.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is calling for calm in the Taiwan Strait, urging against any “provocative action” in the wake of a visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that has infuriated Beijing.