ASEAN summit: Trump hails ‘great relationship’ with Duterte
US president lauds his relationship with the Philippines’ leader, who stands accused of acting with impunity over a brutal war on drugs that has left thousands dead.
US President Donald Trump has been holding meetings at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Philippines’ capital Manila with his counterparts – including President Rodrigo Duterte.
The White House and Duterte’s spokesman gave conflicting accounts on whether the two discussed human rights when they met on the sidelines of the international summit on Monday.
Trump said he had a “great relationship” with Duterte, while a White House official said human rights got only a brief mention. A spokesman for Duterte said there was no mention at all of human rights or extrajudicial killings during their conversation.
Harry Roque, Duterte’s spokesman, told a news conference that the Philippine president had explained his anti-drugs policy at length to Trump, who “seemed to be appreciative of his efforts”.
Al Jazeera’s Jamela Alindogan reports from Manila.