The White House today confirmed that US President Barack Obama will visit Malaysia and several other Southeast Asian economies including Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines from October 6-12 as part of his ongoing commitment to increase America's political, economic and security engagements in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the Press Secretary at The White House, the President will meet with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during his visit to Kuala Lumpur to highlight Washington's growing bilateral ties with Malaysia.
He will also deliver the keynote address at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit to be held here from October 11-12.
Now in its fourth year, the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) is an initiative the President announced in 2009 to spur job creation through entrepreneurship by connecting young innovators to resources, ideas and each other.
Before coming to Malaysia, he will be in Indonesia to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting.
APEC is the region's leading forum for trade and investment integration.
The statement said Obama would also host a series of meetings on the sidelines of the APEC meeting.
The President will host a meeting of Leaders of the Trans-Pacific Partnership countries, which comprises 12 negotiating economies, including Malaysia.
He will also meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reaffirm US' close bilateral ties and celebrate the third year of their Comprehensive Partnership.
The President will then travel to Brunei for the US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS) and to meet with the Sultan of Brunei.
ASEAN and the EAS are key forums for regional multilateral cooperation.
During the meetings, the President will discuss the wide range of US cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, including energy, maritime security, investment, development and trade promotion, as well as other topics of regional and global concern.
The President will then travel to the Philippines, the fifth Asian treaty ally he has visited during his presidency.
"He will meet with President (Benigno) Aquino to reaffirm the strong economic, people-to-people and security links between our two countries," the statement added. - BERNAMA