Trade war in focus at ASEAN summit ahead of Trump’s arrival

Southeast Asian leaders are meeting for a key summit in Manila to address regional flashpoints and the Middle East crisis. According to Punch and the New Straits Times, the summit is taking place ahead of US President Donald Trump’s scheduled arrival on Tuesday. The New Straits Times reports that Trump's visit will include his first sit-down of his second term with leaders from India, Japan, and Australia.

Global leaders at the summit have found common ground regarding the US trade war. During the 11-member ASEAN summit, Brazil's newly re-elected President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told reporters that Brazil has learned a lesson from US tariffs and is seeking other partners for trade, noting increased trade with Indonesia and Vietnam. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also addressed the summit, noting a new Philippine free-trade deal and stating that ASEAN trade talks have been substantially concluded.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Punch, The Mainichi, New Straits Times — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.