Obama, Xi & Medvedev may lead superpowers, but watch out for superstar Justin Trudeau at APEC fiesta

The good news about this Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit being held in Manila is the global media spotlight and free tourism promotion it gives us, especially with visits by leaders of the world’s three biggest superpowers.

Outgoing US President Barack Obama is arriving here without First Lady Michelle Obama, while China President Xi Jinping is just at the start of his decade-long rule and bringing along his fashionable wife, the former folk singer Madame Peng Liyuan. How and what will these two leaders talk about?

It is unfortunate that Russia’s legendary strongman President Vladimir Putin couldn’t come to Manila, but his representative, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, is no less important.

The announcement of Medvedev’s trip came on the afternoon of Nov. 12; no wonder on the night of Nov. 11, while being interviewed on TV with Secretary Rene Almendras, I was puzzled when he told me: “We’ll have the first Russian prime minister to visit the Philippines.”

P-Noy sought meeting with Canada’s Trudeau even before he rose to power

At the interview on Brother Eddie Villanueva’s TV show Diyos at Bayan (God and Country) on Light Network, shown also on GMA-7 and GMA News TV, Secretary Almendras and I were the interviewees on the APEC Summit. I asked Almendras, apart from the three superpower leaders, whom he thought was the most interesting of the 21 APEC leaders. Almendras replied: “Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau. Many women are asking which hotel” he will be staying at.

My sources said the newly elected, telegenic 43-year-old Trudeau is being billeted at one of Makati City’s long established luxury hotels with a grand lobby.

Secretary Almendras shared: “During President Aquino’s visit to Canada, Trudeau was still in the opposition and the President (P-Noy) sought a meeting with him. I think Trudeau was surprised. He’s very humble... Another interesting thing about him, his mother divorced his father and left when he was young, so he was brought up by a Filipina yaya (nanny) to whom he became close.” Trudeau’s father Pierre was 51 when he married Justin’s then 22-year-old mom, Margaret.

Kris should charm two VIP First Ladies, Madame Peng & Madame Ho

I hope the country’s unofficial First Lady Kris Aquino can convince China’s First Lady Madame Peng Liyuan to join the Nov. 19 luncheon for first ladies she is hosting, so that Kris can use her well-known charm to help improve our diplomatic ties. Madame Peng is no ordinary first lady: she’s a a folk-singing icon and also a brigadier general in the military.

Kris said on her popular ABS-CBN daytime show Kris TV that, so far, the first ladies who have already confirmed are from Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Colombia.

Among these first ladies, I suggest Kris also give special attention to Singapore’s Stanford-educated Madame Ho Ching. She is also the CEO of their country’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings, which has US$177 billion in investments worldwide from banks, telecommunications, real estate, media to energy. Temasek is one of a few global giants given the highest overall corporate credit ratings of “AAA” by Standard & Poor’s and by Moody’s. Maybe we can encourage her to invest more here?

A daughter, a son and an English interpreter of Asia’s 3 strongman rulers

Other interesting APEC leaders to watch out for include three leaders connected to outstanding authoritarian statesmen revered by many in Asia for their greatness, but sometimes unfairly and simplistically described by Western media and politicians as “dictators.”

South Korea’s first-ever female leader in history, the unmarried President Park Geun-Hye, has successfully balanced good diplomatic and trade ties with both rivals, China and the US. Her father was the late strongman leader President Park Chung-hee, who led the industrialization of South Korea.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is son of the late iron-willed Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew. He is a former brigadier general, a graduate of Cambridge and Harvard with the highest academic honors.

Taiwan’s Harvard-educated President Ma Ying-jeou used to be an English interpreter of the late incorruptible yet iron-willed President Chiang Ching-kuo.

Obama will be longest-staying APEC leader; will he play basketball too?

Sources told me that US President Obama will stay the longest in Manila among the 21 APEC leaders, staying here even after host President Noynoy Aquino will have left for Malaysia to attend the ASEAN summit. He is reportedly billeted at Sofitel Hotel by the Manila Bay.

Obama loves basketball and I heard it’s possible the US embassy might arrange for him to play this game with local kids in Manila as a PR goodwill gesture.

Reformist China President Xi’s visit is a golden opportunity

I see President Xi Jinping’s first-ever visit to Manila as a golden opportunity for the Philippines to befriend the reformist leader of the Philippines’ traditional friend since ancient times. Can we disagree on certain issues with China while still remaining agreeable?

China is now the world’s biggest source of high-spending tourists, which could be positive news if Xi’s trip translates to a bigger influx of China tourists like those now flocking to South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Europe. In 2014 alone, 117 million China tourists traveled abroad.

Forbes magazine reported: “Xi has fought harder than his predecessors against corruption... Xi has been a strong proponent of Chinese investment abroad. He met with leaders in the US and UK in October in a trip that brought about an estimated $46 billion in trade and investment deals.” China is also building high-speed trains for Thailand, Indonesia and the US.

I suggested to Secretary Almendras on TV that P-Noy should invite Xi out for an after-dinner San Miguel beer, as British Prime Minister David Cameron famously did last month at a pub in London. Almendras laughed and said: “The President doesn’t drink beer.”

Medvedev loves music and ‘Harry Potter’

While Putin has many photos showing him hunting, riding horses bare-chested or handling heavy weapons, the 50-year-old Dmitry Medvedev posts Instagram photos of himself with cute rabbits, smiling selfies inside an elevator or at the gym.

Medvedev likes Harry Potter novels, indulges in sports like swimming, and is a loyal fan of British hard rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple.

World’s wealthiest sultan, ex-political detainee, two military coup leaders

Some of the other interesting APEC leaders are:

• Australia’s new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is an Oxford-educated journalist, lawyer and, before that, an investment banker. His wife is prominent businesswoman and former Lord Mayor of Sydney Lucy Turnbull.

• Oil-rich Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is one of the world’s wealthiest rulers and he lives in the world’s biggest private residence with 1,800 rooms.

• Chile’s first female President Michelle Bachelet is a medical doctor, a socialist and ex-political prisoner.

• Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a maternal grandson of the late conservative Prime Minister Nobosuke Kishi.

• Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak is the eldest son of his country’s second Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein and nephew of third Prime Minister Hussein Onn.

• Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto holds a doctorate in economics from Princeton University.

• New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key used to be head of global foreign exchange for Merrill Lynch.

• Indonesia’s Vice President Jusuf Kalla is a rich businessman who owns the Kalla Group.

Two military coup leaders are coming

• Peru’s President Ollanta Humala is a former army officer who led a failed military coup attempt, then lost the 2006 presidential election but later won the 2011 presidential election.

• Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is former Thai army commander-in-chief. He led a successful military coup last year. He publicly said he regularly consults a fortune teller, uses four “lucky” rings and an elephant tail hair bracelet to ward off bad luck. Wow!

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