Malaysia rejects US plan to host APEC in January
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia has rejected a U.S. plan to host an Asia-Pacific trade summit in January, after Chile scrapped the November meeting over violent anti-government protests.
Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah didn’t give any reason for the rejection Thursday but Malaysia is next year’s host for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Chile’s sudden withdrawal upset a U.S. plan to sign a modest trade agreement with China on the sidelines of the Nov. 16-17 meeting.
Saifuddin said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had sought his views on Malaysia’s position to a possible APEC meeting in the U.S. in January during a recent regional summit in Bangkok.
“I have informed the American officials while they were in Bangkok that we do not think this is a good idea,” he said.
President Donald Trump had also sent an invitation through his envoy to Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad during the Bangkok meeting but Saifuddin said he wasn’t privy to it.
“If it’s about APEC, the answer is no,” he added, without elaborating.
Apart from APEC, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera also called off a U.N. global climate summit in December to respond to widespread protests over economic inequality that have left more than a dozen people dead, hundreds injured and businesses and infrastructure damaged.
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