In September, President Barack Obama will become the first U.S. president to visit Laos, and also participate in the G-20 Leaders’ Summit in China, according to the White House.
No sitting U.S. president has made an official visit to Laos, which is hosting the U.S.-ASEAN Summit, as well as the East Asia Summit, this year. Collectively, Southeast Asia is the fourth largest trading partner of the U.S. – the ASEAN event will focus on strengthened economic cooperation.
Obama’s itinerary in his 11th trip to Asia, running Sept. 2 to 9, includes meetings with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as a town hall meeting at a young leaders summit in Laos.
In China, he will attend his final G-20 – an international forum for 20 major economies – and “emphasize the need to continue building on the progress made since 2009 in advancing strong, sustainable and balanced global economic growth,” according to the White House.
