Asia trip

Obama Postpones Trip To Indonesia And Australia

Ben Frumin | June 4, 2010, 6:46AM

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama is once again postponing his trip to Indonesia and Australia, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced in a statement late last night.

Gibbs didn't offer a reason for the postponement of this month's trip. However, much of the administration's focus in recent weeks has been on the disastrous Gulf Coast oil spill -- the worst in U.S. history -- and Obama will visit the Gulf today for the third time since the spill.

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Barack Obama

Chinese Weekly Asks Obama About His Love Of Hoops

Christina Bellantoni | November 19, 2009, 10:12AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama granted an interview to Chinese weekly Xiang Xi while traveling in Asia and detailed his view of economic and trade relations with the country.

It's not clear if the interview ran in full or if reports it was censored are accurate, but Obama told the weekly he viewed his trip as a success.

You can read the whole transcript at the White House Web site, but here's an amusing exchange:

Q I know you love basketball. So do you think you have time to play basketball while you're being President?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, I do play, not as often as I used to, but I still play maybe once every week or two. And I enjoy going to games, as well. I wish I could have gone to see the Shanghai Sharks, but it wasn't in my schedule. And I'm looking forward to meeting Yao Ming, who is one of my favorite players.

Asia trip

WH's Axelrod Says Obama Wasn't Expecting 'Immediate Gratification' From Asia Trip

Christina Bellantoni | November 19, 2009, 9:57AM

President Barack Obama, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

President Obama left Seoul this morning to head home, concluding an 8-day, 4-country trip through Asia. Air Force One just landed in Alaska for refueling and he's expected back at the White House tonight.

Reporters traveling bombarded White House aides with questions about the lack of tangible results came from the trip, especially from China.

White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Obama "advanced our goals" over the week by having frank discussions with Asian leaders and presenting a new face to the world.

"This is not an immediate gratification business," Axelrod said. "All of these things require solid diplomacy, relationship building, discussions, and that was the purpose of this trip."

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Asia trip

Save Darfur Slams Obama Over China Trip

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 18, 2009, 10:18AM

President Barack Obama

The Save Darfur Coalition lashed out at President Obama today, claiming he is not doing enough to confront the human rights crisis still unfolding in Sudan. The group, one of the largest focused on protecting the victims of genocide in the region, say that Obama's decision not to raise the issue publicly during his trip to China suggests he is not willing to push for peace in the region.

"President Obama's public silence on Sudan in Beijing sent an unfortunate message to the Sudanese government and other key actors that he is not willing to lead publicly for peace in Sudan," Save Darfur president Jerry Fowler said in a statement. "The Administration's new Sudan strategy cannot succeed without vigorous multilateral leadership that starts with the President. Tacking Sudan on to a laundry list of items behind closed doors is not that kind of leadership."

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Guantanamo Bay

Obama On Critics Of Gitmo Detainees Facing Trial: Won't Be Offensive 'When Death Penalty Is Applied'

Christina Bellantoni | November 18, 2009, 7:49AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama dismissed critics who don't like his administration's plan to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the U.S. to stand trial for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, suggesting if Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is found guilty and executed, they will stop being offended.

Obama did a round of interviews with the network White House correspondents traveling with him in Asia. Some of them are airing tonight, but a few networks have released clips.

NBC's Chuck Todd asked Obama about some Americans offended by the decision to transfer detainees, including Mohammed, from Guantanamo Bay to New York.

"I don't think it will be offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him," Obama said.

Todd pressed the president, suggesting he was already deciding how the trial would go.

"What I said was, people will not be offended if that's the outcome. I'm not prejudging it, I'm not going to be in that courtroom. That's the job of the prosecutors, the judge and the jury," Obama said.

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Asia trip

WH: Obama's Internet Comments In China Most 'Direct' Human Rights Talk To Date

Christina Bellantoni | November 17, 2009, 9:23AM

President Barack Obama

White House aides traveling with President Obama on his trip abroad say his brief remarks on human rights and technology at the Shanghai town hall with Chinese students on Monday mark a key turning point in U.S.-China relations.

"I have never heard that kind of a discussion publicly in China before," Jeff Bader, senior director of the National Security Council for Asian Affairs, told reporters traveling with Obama in Beijing. "This was as direct a discussion on human rights as I've seen by any high-level visitor with the Chinese."

Bader said during private discussions with Chinese officials, Obama was "equally candid in describing human rights as a core, a fundamental, bedrock principle of U.S. foreign policy." He said Obama holds up the United Sates as an example while recognizing it remains an "unfinished project."

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Asia trip

Obama Tells Chinese Students Decision On Afghanistan Gives Him 'A Heavy Heart'

Christina Bellantoni | November 16, 2009, 8:57AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama's town hall in Shanghai (held around midnight East Coast time) was a highlight of his 8-day Asia trip. He'll be holding a press conference today in Beijing and also will see the Great Wall and Forbidden City.

He makes the diplomatic visit as he's considering whether to send a surge of up to 40,000 troops to Afghanistan, and the 300 Chinese students he spoke to at the town hall were well aware of the upcoming decision. A Fudan University student asked Obama if terrorism is still the greatest security concern for the United States, adding, "How do you assess the military actions in Afghanistan, or whether it will turn into another Iraqi war?"

His answer in full after the jump.

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Asia trip

In China Obama Touts Freedom Through Twitter, Basketball's Yao Ming And Being The First Black President

Christina Bellantoni | November 16, 2009, 7:55AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama held up Twitter and non-censored technology as a key foundation for a free society while addressing students in China.

Speaking in Shanghai during his 8-day trip through Asia, Obama operated much like he does at his typical U.S. town hall, even going boy-girl, boy-girl as he took questions.

He opened up on winning the Nobel Prize, how he views the conflict in Afghanistan and complimented the students on their English skills.

During the town hall Ambassador Jon Huntsman read the question, submitted through the embassy: "In a country with 350 million Internet users and 60 million bloggers, do you know of the firewall? ... Should we be able to use Twitter freely?"

Obama admitted he had never actually tweeted - despite his campaign and the White House's large presence on Twitter - but said technology helps unite the world.

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Asia trip

First News From Asia Trip: Agreements With Japan On Climate, Nuclear Weapons

Christina Bellantoni | November 13, 2009, 7:59AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama arrived in Tokyo about six hours ago for the start of his 8-day Asia trip and the White House has announced he's secured agreements on both climate change and nuclear weapons.

In a joint statement with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama the leaders said they aim to reduce carbon emissions in Japan and the U.S. by 80 percent by 2050. They also said they "endorse a global goal of reducing emissions by 50 percent by that year."

The U.S. and Japan also issued a joint statement complimenting "renewed international attention and commitment to achieve the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons" and said they are determined "to realize such a world."

The start of the trip is marked with big news back home - Attorney General Eric Holder will be announcing today that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison will face trial in New York. Also, White House counsel Greg Craig is leaving and being replaced with longtime Obama friend Bob Bauer.

The White House laid out more climate change details which you can read after the jump.

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Asia trip

Obama Embarks On Four-Country Blitz As Asia Trip Begins

Christina Bellantoni | November 12, 2009, 5:32PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama today departed for his eighth foreign trip since taking office. He's making a brief stop in Alaska to speak with troops and arrives in Tokyo at 2 a.m. eastern time.

Obama will have a full day there before going to Singapore Saturday for the annual Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum known as APEC.

Sunday after APEC he'll head to Shanghai, China. After a full day of events there he will travel to Beijing. Obama will hold a press conference in Beijing and stay through Wednesday. Then he travels to Seoul, South Korea. He departs late Thursday to return to Washington.

According to unofficial White House statistician Mark Knoller, Obama has been to more countries in his first year than any predecessor. This latest brings his total to 8 foreign trips and 20 countries.

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