‘US will continue to fly, sail, operate across Asia’

VIENTIANE – Barack Obama, on his final visit to Asia as US president, insisted yesterday renewed American engagement with the region would endure after he leaves the White House.

He also reiterated his steadfast support for access to disputed waters in the region which China claims as its own.

“Across the region, including in the East and South China Seas, the United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows and support the right of all countries to do the same,” he said in a speech in the

Lao capital of Vientiane.

Obama said America’s interest in the Asia-Pacific is not new.

“It’s not a passing fad. It is fundamental national interest,” he said.

The US president is making his 11th and last trip to the Asia-Pacific, seeking to cement a “pivot” to the region that has been a hallmark of his eightyear administration.

During his speech in Laos, Obama took time to summarize that policy, which has often been distracted by protracted violence and instability in the Middle East.

“As president, a key priority of my foreign policy has been to deepen our engagement with the nations and peoples of the AsiaPacific,” he told delegates, adding that he remained “confident” the new engagement would last.

Obama trumpeted increased military cooperation with countries such as the Philippines, Singapore and India, as well as a push for greater trade with the region, and vowed this would continue. –