Donald Trump drops visits to Australia, APEC
Donald Trump has decided not to visit Australia and the APEC leaders’ summit in November, but will attend the WWI armistice centenary in France.
Donald Trump has decided not to visit Australia and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in November, choosing instead to visit France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World War I armistice.
The decision will be a disappointment to the Australian Government but the Prime Minister Scott Morrison will almost certainly hold his first meeting with the President during the G20 Summit in Argentina at the end of November.
Mr Trump’s decision not to attend key Asia summits will also be greeted with disappointment across the region, where it will be seen by some as sending a negative message about US commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
Mr Trump will miss the APEC summit in Papua New Guinea on November 17 and 18 and also the Asean and East Asia summits in Singapore several days earlier.
The White House had been planning for a short visit by Mr Trump to Australia if he chose to travel to Asia to attends the summits. He was invited to visit Australia earlier this year by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
In an announcement today, the White House said Vice-President Mike Pence would attend the summits although he will not visit Australia, having already visited in 2017.
“The Vice-President will highlight the United States’ vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, based on respect for sovereignty, the rule of law, and the principles of free, fair, and reciprocal trade,” the White House said.
It said the President would attend the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1 in Paris on November 11 “to highlight the sacrifices that Americans have made, not only during World War I but also in the century since, in the name of liberty”.
He will also visit Ireland during that visit.
Then in late November Mr Trump will visit Buenos Aires for the G20 summit as well as Columbia.
“The G20 Summit will be an opportunity for the President to highlight his pro-growth economic policies on an international stage and meet bilaterally with other key world leaders,” the White House said.
(Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia)
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