Obama arrives in Manila on trip to solidify Asia ties

MANILA -- President Barack Obama has arrived in the Philippines at the start of a trip aimed at solidifying ties to Asia and touting a regional trade pact.

Obama landed midday Tuesday, November 17, in Manila after an overnight flight from Turkey. His first major stop will be a tour of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, an advanced Philippine Navy frigate once owned by the US.

The tour comes as the US aims to counter China's territorial ambitions in the disputed South China Sea.

While in Manila, Obama will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit with nearly two dozen other leaders. He'll also promote the recently finished Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

Obama will echo similar themes later in the week when he travels to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Obama’s Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, arrived at 12:23 p.m. via an Air China flight.

Xi was welcomed by Philippine Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua.

Other heads of state who arrived on Tuesday were New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, and Vietnamese President Trương Tấn Sang. (AP/Sunnex)

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