U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned China visit brings a direct American stake to a week of Asian diplomatic meetings, where trade, technology and security are on the agenda, The Guardian reported.
The Guardian said meetings in China, the Philippines and Cambodia are planned this week. It situated the diplomacy amid competition between China and the United States for influence across the region.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum's 33rd Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen is scheduled for Nov. 18-19, according to APEC's event calendar. The formal event name is the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. The Guardian reported Trump is due to attend. China has also sought agreement on a Shenzhen declaration at the meeting, as described in earlier coverage of Beijing’s APEC declaration push.
The Guardian linked tariff uncertainty to Southeast Asian efforts to diversify trade and reduce dependence on the United States. Its account puts those trade choices alongside the security and technology issues on the diplomatic agenda.
The newspaper also drew a comparison with the 1945 Yalta conference, invoking a historical precedent for diplomacy among major powers.
Looking beyond this week, negotiations on a South China Sea pact are expected to continue next year under Singapore's chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), The Guardian reported.
