Obama’s Trip Underscores Asia’s Importance

Obama’s Trip Underscores Asia’s Importance

 

President Obama will visit India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan November 6–14.

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — Senior White House officials say President Obama’s nine-day visit to India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan is aimed at renewing U.S. engagement across Asia through established alliances and deepening partnerships with emerging powers.
The president’s November 6–14 visit includes meetings of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies in Seoul and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) in Yokohama.
In a White House briefing October 28, Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, said Obama’s visit to the four countries “sends a strong signal of the ability of democracy to thrive within Asia and the ability of robust economic development to take place within emerging democracies as well as established ones.”
The rise of economic growth in Asia “is one of the defining stories of our time,” and the region will be a major focus for U.S. exports and job-creation efforts in the future, Rhodes said.
Asia is at the center of U.S. foreign policy because it’s fundamental to the economic prosperity of Americans through the need to balance global growth through U.S. exports, and it’s fundamental to U.S. security in terms of curbing the spread of nuclear weapons and terrorism, Rhodes said.