U.S. President Donald Trump's absence at several international summits in Asia this week isn't a snub, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters en route to the region.
The vice president was due to arrive in Tokyo later Monday on a trip that will also take him to Singapore and Papua New Guinea. He faces the challenge of reassuring allies about U.S. policy toward Asia amid increasing doubts about its commitment and consistency.
The U.S.'s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region "has never been stronger," Pence told reporters in Alaska on Sunday night en route to Tokyo. Trump's decision to skip the summits is "not in the least" a snub, he said, adding that the president is "where the American people would want him" — in Paris for World War I commemorations.