Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's invitation to the East Asia Summit, a key forum for regional and global security discussions, is a sign Canada's aggressive overtures in the region have paid off, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Sunday. "The East Asia Summit is the top table in Asia on security issues. When he was U.S. president, Barack Obama attended every East Asia Summit — except one, when he faced a federal government shutdown in 2013 — as he saw the EAS as the best forum to assert American influence on Asia-Pacific affairs. President Donald Trump toasts Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, right, at an ASEAN Summit dinner in Manila. Duterte invited Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take part in the high-level East Asian Summit (EAS).

Source: CBC News November 12, 2017 13:41 UTC