During a visit to the headquarters of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Pence confirmed that President Trump will attend three regional summits in November: a U.S. -ASEAN and East Asia summit in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Vietnam. Pence was joined by American softball star Monica Abbott and Japanese player Akinori Iwamura.
US Vice President Mike Pence Thursday praised Indonesia's moderate form of Islam as "an inspiration" at the start of a visit to the Muslim-majority country seen as a bid by his administration to heal divisions with the Islamic world.
But Pence foreshadowed some reworking of commercial and economic ties, saying that the US seeks a free and fair relationship that helps job creation and economic growth for both sides.
In comments reported by the national broadcaster NHK on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said he believed the TPP trade talks would offer greater advantages to Japan than bilateral negotiations with the U.S.
He also says the era of over-regulation "is over" and Trump aims to bring in a new era of jobs and growth.
Washington had billed Mr Pence's visit to Jakarta as a booster for a strategic partnership between the world's second- and third-largest democracies, but a raft of bilateral disputes with United States companies could sap the goodwill from his trip.
Mattis did not identify the type of missile but said it was not of intercontinental range, meaning it could not reach USA territory.
US Secret Service to end public access to White House sidewalk
The path has been closed nightly from 11pm to 6am since 2015 and will now be off-limits around the clock, the Secret Service said. Last month there were a string of fence jumpers, one man was on White House grounds for 17 minutes before he was stopped.
The USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group is supposed to be a symbol of that reassurance. But the vice president expressed impatience with the unwillingness of North Korea to move toward ridding itself of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Indonesia is the latest stop on an Asian tour by Pence that aims to reaffirm traditional USA alliances at a time when Donald Trump's presidency has raised questions about the strength of the US commitment to the region.
A senior administration official told CGTN that before April 9, the White House had chose to move the carrier group towards the Korean peninsula after naval exercises with the Australians in the Indian Ocean.
Aso said the focus of both sides is "not only boosting trade and investment between the two countries, but also building high-level and fair rules by Japan and the USA, and expanding them across the Asia-Pacific".
Speaking to USA and Japanese troops on board the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier Wednesday, he called North Korea the most urgent and risky threat to the peace and security of the Asia-Pacific region.
From two continents, Pence and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned that North Korea's latest failed missile launch was a reckless act of provocation and assured allies in Asia that the US was ready to work to achieve a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
A ship bell signaled his arrival Wednesday morning on the USS Ronald Reagan at the U.S. Yokosuka naval base south of Tokyo. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is undergoing scheduled maintenance at its home port. US President Donald Trump also said he's sending an "armada" to Korea.
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