news20091114bbc

[One-Minute World News] from [BBC NEWS]

[Asia-Pacific]
Page last updated at 03:09 GMT, Saturday, 14 November 2009
Obama affirms commitment to Asia
{President Obama: "The United States and China will be better off meeting challenges together"}
US President Barack Obama has welcomed a bigger role for China on the world scene and pledged to pursue greater cooperation with Asian countries.

Speaking in Tokyo, he said the US would not be "cowed" by North Korea's nuclear threats and that his commitment to the security of Asia was "unshakeable".

Mr Obama also called on Asian leaders to pursue balanced economic growth.

After Japan, he attends an Asia-Pacific economic summit in Singapore, followed by visits to China and South Korea.

The president has brought forward his departure from Japan, so that he will arrive sooner than planned at the Apec summit.

His trade representative Ron Kirk, who is already at the meeting in Singapore, says the US wants barriers to trade and investment removed to promote an open global trade system.

'Strong China'

Calling himself America's first "Pacific president", Mr Obama said Washington's commitment to the region's security was "unshakeable" despite fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

{{DATE SCHEDULE}
1. Friday 13: Arrives in Japan
2. Saturday 14: To Apec summit in Singapore
3. Sunday 15: Has talks with Russia's President Medvedev before leaving for China
4. Tuesday 17: Summit in Beijing with Chinese President Hu Jintao
5. Wednesday 18: Ends tour in South Korea}

He said the US did not seek to "contain" China's rising power, and pledged to pursue "pragmatic cooperation" with Beijing on issues of mutual concern.

"The rise of a strong, prosperous China can be a source of strength for the community of nations," Mr Obama said.

He warned that he would not waver from raising human rights concerns with Beijing, but did not mention specific concerns, including Tibet.

He sought more assistance from China to thwart the ambitions of North Korea, and warned there would be tough, unified action by the US and its Asian partners if the Koreans fail to abandon their nuclear weapons programmes.

Mr Obama again called on Pyongyang to return to six-party talks.

'Sustained growth'

On the issue of economic cooperation, Mr Obama challenged Asian countries to break their dependence on exports to the US and to pursue "balanced" and sustainable economic growth.

"We must strengthen our economic recovery, and pursue growth that is both balanced and sustained," he said. "We simply cannot return to the same cycles of boom and bust that led us into a global recession."

He said the US would pursue a new economic strategy that would mean "saving more and spending less".

He urged Asian leaders to break their dependence on exports to the US market and to open up their markets to speed up a global economic recovery.

Mr Obama arrived in Tokyo on Friday and met Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

The two leaders agreed on the need to renew their countries' strained alliance and pledged to work quickly to resolve a dispute over the US military base in Okinawa.

His eight-day tour will next take him to Singapore, where he will attend an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit.

After that, Mr Obama moves on to China on Sunday. He wraps up his visit in South Korea next week.