(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Thailand on Friday, Nov. 1, to attend the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Bangkok.
The President’s trip pushed through even after successive earthquakes rocked Mindanao.
The Palace said, however, that Duterte remained on top of the situation.
According to the Palace, in Bangkok, the President shall join ASEAN and other dialogue partners “to advance ASEAN’s community-building agenda aimed at ensuring greater peace, security, and prosperity in the Asia Pacific.”
The Palace said the President and his counterparts “will explore ways to further promote inclusive and sustainable development and address the challenges posed by climate change, marine pollution and other environmental issues.”
Trade tensions, geopolitical shifts and the Fourth Industrial Revolution shall also be topics for discussion.
“Developments in the South China Sea, and other security concerns particularly terrorism, illicit drug trafficking and other transnational crimes will also be addressed,” the Palace said.
The Palace added ASEAN shall have “one-on-one” summits with China, India, the United States, Japan and the United Nations “to examine the current status and future direction of dialogue partnerships.”
The President will also attend the ASEAN Plus Three Summit with other ASEAN leaders to discuss strategic issues affecting the region’s security and growth prospects.
The summit is expected to conclude over 40 outcome documents.