Trump lands in the Philippines, offers to mediate on South China Sea

Manila

UNITED States President Donald Trump landed in the Philippines on Sunday for a summit of South-east and East Asian nations, hours after offering to mediate on competing claims to the South China Sea that have long stoked tensions in the region.

It will be the last leg of a marathon Asia tour that, despite Mr Trump's "America First" policy, may reassure some that his administration remains committed to a region that Beijing sees as its strategic domain.