Trump teases new trade moves at ASEAN summit

President Trump on Monday told reporters during a summit in Manila that he would make a trade announcement following his return from a tour of Asia later this week.

“We’ve made some very big steps with respect to trade, far bigger than anything you know, in addition to about $300 billion in sales to various companies, including China,” Trump said, according to a pool report.

The announcement, further details of which Trump didn’t disclose, would be made sometime on Wednesday, according to the report.

{mosads}

“We’ll give you a chance to sleep,” Trump told the reporters.

He also praised the treatment he had received throughout his Asia tour.

“We very much appreciate it,” he said. “Red carpet like I think probably nobody has ever received. That really is a sense of respect, perhaps for me a little bit, but really for our country, and I’m very proud of that.”

The president made the comments ahead of a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Trump and other world leaders are in the Philippine capital to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

The president used the tour, which also included stops in China, Japan and Vietnam, to push his trade agenda.

Before being elected, Trump ran on a platform largely critical of free trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he announced the U.S. was pulling out of in January.

On Friday, officials from 11 Pacific countries said they had reached a trade deal that didn’t include the U.S.

“Ministers are pleased to announce that they have agreed on the core elements of the Comprehensive Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership,” the countries said in a statement.

The 11 countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.