Obama Cancels Trip to Philippines and Malaysia Secretary of State John Kerry will lead delegations to both countries, instead of Mr. Obama. The president is still scheduled to make the trip to Indonesia to attend the APEC summit, where Asian leaders are gathering in Bali to discuss economic issues, and then to Brunei for the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean. But White House officials made clear those stops might also be canceled depending on developments. The White House released the following statement: "Due to the government shut-down, President Obama's travel to Malaysia and the Philippines has been postponed. Logistically, it was not possible to go ahead with these trips in the face of a government shut-down. Because they are on the back end of the president's upcoming trip, our personnel was not yet in place and we were not able to go forward with planning. Unlike the APEC and East Asia Summits, these trips can also be rescheduled, and President Obama looks forward to visiting Malaysia and the Philippines later in his term. An estimated 800,000 U.S. government employees have been furloughed because of the shutdown. The cancellation of the trip comes as Mr. Obama has been trying to tilt American policy more toward Asia because of the rise of China and the resulting tensions, and because of the growing economic importance of the region. The highlight of his itinerary, which includes stops in Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines, is the gathering of Asian leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference. China's leader, Xi Jinping, will be attending the conference as he tries to gain favor with countries in Southeast Asia. This is the third time Mr. Obama has curtailed an Asia trip because of domestic issues. In March 2010, he postponed a trip to Indonesia and Australia to fight for his health care program, and in June of that year, he postponed the trip again because of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Philippines has been a stalwart ally of the United States as Washington tries to counter China's influence in the region, with Washington and Manila recently broadening their military ties. Mr. Obama called the Philippine president, Benigno Aquino, Tuesday night to tell him of the cancellation. On Wednesday the White House described the call: "The president reaffirmed our strong alliance with the Philippines and respect for President Aquino's leadership, and committed to travel to the Philippines later in his term. He also noted our shared commitment to the security of the Philippines, and the broader security and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Obama also called Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia to inform him of the decision.