U.S. Absence at Asean Trade Meeting Draws Criticism

The U.S. absence at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations trade meeting and the Obama administration’s failure to name an ambassador to the bloc drew criticism from Senator Richard Lugar and a Washington think tank.

The U.S. didn’t send a trade representative to a meeting in Vietnam this week of Asean economic ministers, where they are holding talks with counterparts from Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Russia.