奥巴马4月访日菲等四国重振亚太战略_BEC初级作文

奥巴马4月访日菲等四国重振亚太战略

Obama will be the first US president to visit Malaysia since Lyndon Johnson in 1966. The Obama administration has been building on US efforts to cultivate closer ties with the country following the two-decade rule of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who left office in 2003.

Obama's final stop will be Manila, where he will meet President Benigno Aquino and discuss evolving military relations designed to include rotations of US troops in the country.

The White House did not give exact dates for the trip, other than saying it would take place in late April. Obama is expected to be away for about a week.

- America's first 'Pacific president' -

Obama has declared he is America's first "Pacific president" and announced a rebalancing of military and strategic resources to the dynamic, fast-growing region.

But the cancellation of his trip last year, and the departure from his administration of big hitters committed to the Asia pivot like former secretary of state Hillary Clinton prompted concern in the region over US staying power.

Michael Green, who used to coordinate White House East Asia policy for president George W. Bush, said Obama must convince powers in Southeast Asia that his commitment remains firm in his second term -- amid impressions that Secretary of State John Kerry is more interested in the Middle East.

"Within Southeast Asia, they don't think that the new team has the same understanding, or commitment to the importance of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)," said Green, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.