Asean Leaders Snub U.S. Summit After Trump Skips Bangkok Meeting

Robert O’Brien, fifth from left, with leaders and ministers during the ASEAN-US Summit in Bangkok on Nov. 4.Photographer: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images

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By Prim Chuwiruch and Philip Heijmans

November 4, 2019 at 8:33 AM UTC

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Most Southeast Asian leaders skipped a summit on Monday with U.S. representatives after President Donald Trump decided to avoid the annual meetings for a second straight year.

Leaders from Thailand, Laos and Vietnam were the only ones to show up from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the summit with National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, who was leading the U.S. delegation. It was the lowest level representation for the U.S. at the meetings since Barack Obama upgraded ties with Asean in 2011.