U.S. President Donald Trump will skip summits with Asian leaders in Singapore and Papua New Guinea in November, sending Vice President Mike Pence in his place, the White House said on Friday, an announcement that will raise questions about his commitment to a regional strategy to counter China.
Trump was invited to attend the U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and the East Asia summit in Singapore and also the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Papua New Guinea. He had attended these events last November.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump asked Pence to represent him at the summits, where he 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."