Trump out, Pence in

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has welcomed the attendance of United State Vice-President Mike Pence to replace President Donald Trump at the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Leaders’ Summit in November, calling him an “outstanding leader”.
“Vice-President Pence is an outstanding leader, and we look forward to receiving him in Port Moresby,” he said.
Pence’s attendance was confirmed by a White House statement last weekend after President Donald Trump cancelled his trip to Port Moresby as he would be visiting France and Ireland at that time.
O’Neill described Pence as a man of great religious conviction who “played an important role in helping bring the 400-year-old King James Bible (from his home province of Indiana) to PNG”.
The big Bible is now at Parliament House in Waigani.
“I know our church leaders will look forward to thanking Vice-President Pence personally for his support,” O’Neill said.
He said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would be attending the Apec Minister’s Meeting on Nov 15. O’Neill expects Pence to make “an outstanding contribution to discussions”.
“Negotiations in the multilateral trading system are challenging at the moment, and we look forward to the positive contribution he will add to these discussions,” he said.
O’Neill said the nation was looking forward to the State visit by Xi Jinping, the President of China – “a country with which PNG has a strengthening bilateral engagement”.
He will arrive two days before the Leaders’ Summit begins. The country is also looking forward to the attendance by other leaders such as the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe who would be visiting the country for the second time.
President Joko Widodo of Indonesia will be returning to PNG after his historic State visit in 2014. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will also be returning to PNG.
“He has a long and enduring relationship with our country when he was previously the prime minister.”
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also confirmed he will return to Apec having attended multiple Leaders Summits in the past in his capacity as president and prime minister.
“We look forward to continuing to provide details of leaders attending the Apec Leaders’ Summit in PNG as they are announced.”
Trump will be in France for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice which ended fighting during World War I.