Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo will skip next week’s Apec leaders’ meeting in Manila, as will Russia’s Mr Vladimir Putin.

Both leaders will send their deputies – Vice-President Jusuf Kalla and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev – in their place.

Mr Hussain Abdullah, a spokesman for Mr Kalla, yesterday confirmed that Mr Joko will not be in Manila and has asked Mr Kalla to go in his place. The Straits Times understands that Mr Joko decided on this so he could see to more urgent matters at home.

… But Associate Professor Leonard Sebastian of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) said Mr Joko could be buying time by not going to Manila.

“The problem may be one of managing rising expectations now that President Joko has expressed Indonesia’s ambition to join the TPP,” he explained, referring to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.