Almost two years ago, on the morn- ing on Nov. 19 2012, a U.S. govern- ment plane finally touched down at Yangon’s Mingaladon Airport. Air Force One navigated Yangon’s worn runway and rolled past a thicket of tropical foliage to make Barack Obama the first ever U.S. Pres- ident to visit this strategic nation wedged between India and China.
For an American leader who calls himself the country’s “first Pacific President” and has pivoted U.S. foreign policy toward Asia in an effort to hedge China, the good news coming out of Myanmar couldn’t have occurred at a more opportune time. That was an urge for the President Thein Sein’s government per- forming a raft of substantive reforms which was coming up after the ease of American foreign policy toward Myanmar and bilater- al relations have been progressing steadily. Soon, he is coming back again in the coming November.
According to a senior US Embassy Official, US president Barack Obama will visit Myan- mar in November to attend key regional East Asia Summit and meet G-20 leaders as part of re-balancing his Asia Pacific administra- tion strategy.
President Barack Obama will visit China, Myanmar and Australia to attend key re- gional meetings and promoting the US’s trade and investment and economic growth sectors. In Beijing Obama will attend the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit on November 10 and 11, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been invited by the Chinese President. Obama
would possibly extend his stay in Beijing for a day on November 12 before travelling to Myanmar to attend the East Asia Summit. Tony Abbot – Prime Minister of Australia, Ms Park Geun – Hye – President of South Ko- rea , Li Keqiang – premier of China, ShinzoAbe – Prime Minister of Japan, John Key – Prime Minister of New Zeland and Russia President Vladimir Putin are expected to at- tend the summit which will be held in Nay- pyidaw, in the coming November.
From Myanmar, the US President would
head to Brisbane in Australia for the G-20 summit on November 15 and 16 which would also be attended by Modi.
U Aung Lin, Director General of the Depart- ment of ASEAN affairs , Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Myanmar Insider on Friday that November East Asia Summit in Nay Pyi Taw would focus on US investments , East Asia –US trade, economy and growth.
“Currently the heads of state and govern- ments of the eighteen countries are expected to participate in the summit. In general, the heads of those countries will focus on the set of issues that are related to the highly heated and sustaining economic growth in the re- gion” he said.
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian region. Membership ex- panded to 18 countries including the United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS in 2011. EAS meetings are held after annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings. The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 14 December 2005.
