NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP) — U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and a raft of other American officials are showcasing the commitment of U.S. businesses to Asia with a gathering on the sidelines of a regional summit that President Donald Trump opted to skip.

Ross told a gathering of about 1,000 people at the privately led but government-supported Indo-Pacific Business Forum on Monday that the Trump administration is "extremely engaged and fully committed to this region."

Trump sent his national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, as his special envoy to the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. On Sunday host Thailand announced a rough agreement on plans for reaching a deal on a 16-nation trade pact, dubbed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, that does not include the U.S. but does include Japan, China and India.