US President Donald Trump has invited his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte to the White House to discuss Washington-Manila relations and the standoff over North Korea.
Trump invited Duterte in a phone call on Saturday, according to a White House readout of the conversation.
“It was a very friendly conversation, in which the two leaders discussed the concerns of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regarding regional security, including the threat posed by North Korea,” said the readout.
Trump said he would travel to the Philippines in November to take part in the East Asia Summit and the US-ASEAN Summit.
The two leaders also discussed the Philippine government’s war on drugs, a campaign that has so far led to the deaths of thousands of people.
According to Human Rights Watch, Philippine police and unidentified gunmen have killed over 7,000 suspected drug users and dealers since Duterte took office in June 2016.
