US President Donald Trump and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte (Photo: VNA/Xinhua) Hanoi (VNA) – US President Donald Trump and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte vowed to support freedom of navigation and overflight, according to a US-Philippines joint statement issued by the White House on November 13.
The joint statement said “both sides reiterated their commitment to uphold their principles including the freedom of navigation and overflight, and the exercise of self-restraint.”
They stressed the importance of using peaceful measures to resolve disputes in the East Sea in line with international law.
The leaders also highlighted the need to continue pursuing confidence-building measures to increase mutual trust and confidence, and to refrain from actions that would escalate tensions, including militarisation.
On November 13, President Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque Jr. told the press that ASEAN pushed for a peaceful resolution to the East Sea issue and called for the completion of a code of conduct for the disputed waters.
Trump arrived in the Philippine capital Manila on November 12 to take part in the 31st ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
The Philippines is the last leg of Trump's Asia tour, which has taken him to Japan, the Republic of Korea, China and Vietnam. It is his first trip to the region since taking office in January.-VNA
VNA
