US President Barack Obama, who is visiting Laos for an annual ASEAN summit, yesterday mentioned Taiwan as an example of a flourishing Asian democracy during an address on the sidelines of the summit.
In his speech to the people of Laos at the Lao National Cultural Hall, Obama, the first sitting US president to set foot in the country, acknowledged the devastation caused by a US bombing campaign during the Vietnam War and pledged US$90 million to help clean up unexploded bombs, highlighting the bond and new partnership between the two countries.
However, he also said that the two governments would continue to have differences, adding that the US would continue to speak up on what it considers to be universal human rights, including the rights of the Laotian people to express themselves freely and decide their own future.
Later in the speech, Obama said he believes that “nations are stronger and more successful when they uphold human rights.”
“And we know that democracy can flourish in Asia, because we’ve seen it thrive, from Japan and South Korea to Taiwan,” he said.
Obama said citizens across Asia have shaped their own futures, adding that Americans believe that freedom of speech and assembly, a free press and access to information and an open Internet make a country stronger.
Laos is hosting the ASEAN summit and is Obama’s final stop in Asia before he leaves office.
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