Duterte arrives in Vietnam for APEC, third meeting with Putin

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday arrived in Vietnam to participate in the 25th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

Duterte is also scheduled to have bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

He arrived at the Da Nang International Airport at 6 p.m. (Da Nang time, 7 p.m. Manila time).

Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Noel Servigon and Vietnamese officials met Duterte at the airport.

Duterte will deliver a keynote speech at the APEC CEO Summit, attend the APEC Business Advisory Council, and the inaugural APEC and ASEAN Leaders’ Informal Dialogue.

The President will meet 20 other leaders including US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Putin.

This will be the first time that Duterte will meet Trump in person.

According to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Manuel Teehankee, Duterte also has a proposed bilateral meeting with Xi.

Duterte's meeting with Putin will be the third between them. The first ones were in Peru and in Russia.

“I anticipate a highly productive meeting, and I look forward to exchanging ideas with my fellow leaders and old friends on how we can strengthen relationships to sustain the economic vigor of the Asia Pacific region,” Duterte said in his pre-departure statement.

“Our continued engagement [is] an investment in our economic future as our country seeks to sustain our development and work towards more significant investments and a golden age of infrastructure,” he added.

While the President’s away, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will be the Executive branch’s officer-in-charge. —NB, GMA News