MANILA – South-east Asia’s leaders opened their summit on Monday (Nov 13), with the South China Sea disputes, North Korea, terrorism, transnational crime, trade, and migrant workers’ rights high on their agenda.
In his opening remarks, President Rodrigo Duterte set the tone, as he recalled a five-month-long war between Philippine troops and Islamist extremist groups that seized the southern city of Marawi in May.
“I apologise for setting the tone in such a manner,” he said. “But I only want to emphasise that our meetings for the next two days present an excellent opportunity for us to engage in meaningful discussions on matters of regional and international importance.”