The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is holding its 31st Summit in Manila, Philippines. The county's President Duterte, who is chairing the meeting, opened it on Monday.
The leaders of the ASEAN member states and their dialogue partners attended an opening ceremony and participated in a traditional group cross-body handshake photo, during which each leader shakes the opposite hands of those next to him or her.
The event was preceded by gala where the host surprised the participants with the popular Filipino love song "Ikaw" (You). President Duterte performed in a duet with local pop diva Pilita Corrales.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I sang, uninvited, a duet with Ms Pilita Corrales at the behest of the commander in chief of the United States," Duterte explained at the end of his performance.
One of the song's verses, translated from Filipino, begins: "You are the light in my world, half of this heart of mine". The Philippines leader however did not specify if it was meant particularly for Donald Trump.
#PresidentDuterte sings #Ikaw with #PilitaCorales, upon request of @realDonaldTrump. #Asean2017 pic.twitter.com/VjGCVeOeqG
— Karen Jimeno (@AttyKarenJimeno) 12 ноября 2017 г.
The video of Duterte singing was tweeted by Public Works Undersecretary Karen Jimeno.
On Monday, Rodrigo Duterte and President Trump had a bilateral meeting. Following the encounter, Harry Roque, Duterte's spokesman, told a news conference that the relationship between the two presidents was "warm, friendly and candid" and noted that they shared similar feelings about former US President Barack Obama.
Duterte sparred with former US leader in the past, vowing to say "son of a bitch I will swear at you" in case Barack Obama questioned him about extrajudicial killings at the ASEAN Summit in Laos last year.
According to Harry Roque, the issue of human rights and alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines was not discussed during the meeting on Monday.
Earlier on Sunday, police in the Philippines used water cannons and batons against thousands who had marched toward the US embassy in Manila, protesting the arrival of the US president.
The Summit is attended by ten ASEAN member states and eleven dialogue partners. Russia is represented by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
