KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — US President Donald Trump could travel to Malaysia in November after the 33rd Asean Summit held in Singapore, an official from the White House has indicated.
Following the change of government here, US National Security Council senior director for Asian affairs Matthew Pottinger said Trump has expressed hopes to strengthen the comprehensive partnership between both nations.
“We have got the Asean Summit coming up later this year, so we are exploring possibilities for the president’s follow-on travel,” he was quoted as saying in The Star.
“I had the pleasure of conveying a letter to the government (yesterday) from Trump congratulating Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) on the coalition that he leads and his electoral victory, and also congratulating the Malaysian people,” Pottinger added.
The Asean Summit in Singapore will be held from November 11 to 15.
Dr Mahathir recently said that he was “mystified” by policies adopted by Trump, adding that it was difficult to predict the direction set by Trump’s administration.
Commenting on this, Pottinger, who is reportedly the first in the Trump administration to visit Malaysia since the 14th general election, said “they look forward to engaging and deepening the bilateral relationship at all levels of government”.
On the dispute in the South China Sea, Pottinger said US would “continue responding to China’s militarisation of the islands in the area”.
“The United States and its partners will all be taking steps in the near and long term to respond to that militarisation.
“Those kinds of steps should be viewed as stabilising the situation and not as provocation,” he was quoted as saying.
