US President Barack Obama is to use an Asian tour beginning this week to bolster Washington’s alliances in the region at a time of increased geopolitical tension.
Obama is scheduled to visit Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, and will be under duress to address maritime territorial disputes between US allies and China.
Obama aides on Friday said he would restate the US’ staunch support for its friends, underline its role as a Pacific power and seek to reassure the region that his “rebalancing” to Asia strategy is not running out of steam.
The US president is set to travel to Asia on Tuesday, but is likely to remain preoccupied by simmering foreign policy crises elsewhere, especially in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
“The president’s trip to Asia is an important opportunity to underscore our continued focus on the Asia-Pacific region,” US National Security Adviser Susan Rice said.
During his trip, Obama is to emphasize that Washington wants maritime disputes in the South and East China seas settled peacefully, in accordance with the rule of law, Rice said.
Washington does not take a position on the various territorial claims of regional powers, but has in the past angered Beijing by suggesting that these claims should be solved multilaterally.
China prefers to discuss the maritime rows bilaterally with individual nations, probably because this is a more advantageous format for the Asian giant to wield its significant size and influence.
Obama’s trip will be his first to the region since Beijing declared an air defense identification zone in the South China Sea last year, which the US and other nations have branded as illegitimate.
The US president is to begin his fifth official trip to Asia in a state visit to Japan on Wednesday, when he has a private dinner scheduled with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The next day, after an official ceremony at the Imperial Palace and then formal talks, he is to hold a press conference with Abe.
After several engagements during the day, including a meeting with business leaders, Obama is to attend a state dinner hosted by Japanese Emperor Akihito.
In Seoul, Obama is to hold talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye that focus on North Korea’s belligerence. The US president will also attempt to ease tensions between Seoul and Tokyo stoked by territorial spats and wartime grievances.
Deputy US National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said Obama will also address the US-South Korean Combined Forces Command and be briefed on efforts to meet North Korean “provocations.”
Obama is then to travel to Malaysia before heading to the Philippines on April 28 for talks with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.
The US president is to hold a joint press conference with Aquino in Manila, be the guest of honor at a state dinner and lay a wreath at the Philippines’ World War II US cemetery.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS