U.S. President Donald Trump set out a strong message on trade at a meeting of Asia-Pacific countries in Vietnam on Friday, saying the United States could no longer tolerate chronic trade abuses and would insist on fair and equal trade policies.
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Trump said the United States was ready to make a bilateral deal with any country in the Indo-Pacific region, but only on the basis of “mutual respect and mutual benefit”.
Although he was addressing a meeting alongside the summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders, he repeatedly referred to the Indo-Pacific region and mentioned the importance of India in his speech.
Referring to North Korea, he said the region must not be held hostage to a dictator’s “twisted fantasies”.
(Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Michael Perry)
