Trump’s top official to pay visit to Malaysia

FILE - In this July 21, 2017 file photo, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at the State Department in Washington. Tillerson says neither he nor President Donald Trump is very happy about new sanctions on Russia that Congress has voted to put in place. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

KUALA LUMPUR: Rex Tillerson (pic) will be the first senior official of the Trump administration to visit Malaysia.

From Saturday to Aug 9, the US Secretary of State will be in the Philippines, then Thailand and Malaysia.

A US State Department statement said Tillerson’s visit here was to discuss ways to strengthen US- Malaysia ties.

“In Kuala Lum-pur, he will meet officials to discuss strengthening cooperation on a range of issues in the 60th year of US-Malaysia bilateral relations,” it read.

Tillerson will start his visit in Manila, where he will take part in several regional meetings, including the Asean Regional Forum, East Asia Summit Ministerial, the US-Asean Minis-terial, and the Lower Mekong Initiative Ministerial meetings.

Tillerson will then travel to Thailand to pay his respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and discuss regional issues and the US-Thai partnership. He will then travel to Malaysia.