As Obama leaves Asia for final time as president, his successor will still have much to do
Obama condemned the test but minimised other slights, including a rude welcome by China and a vulgarity from the new Philippine president, highlighting instead a step forward in the fight on climate change with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Our leadership in Asia depends on how well we manage great power relations, and trade is a big part of our credibility in Asia
As Obama prepares to leave office, his 10th and final trip to the continent underscored his mixed record on the cornerstone of his foreign policy, a repositioning of diplomatic and military resources toward Asia, in part to counter the increased power of China.
He also stressed that the alliances he helped shore up need tending even after he leaves office. Some Southeast Asian leaders are worried by China, which has grown more hostile to its neighbours during Obama’s presidency.
“The concern that I’ve heard is not that what we have done hasn’t been important and successful,” Obama told reporters as he wrapped up the trip. Rather, he said, leaders one after another told him, “We hope that America’s interest and presence and engagement is sustained.”