US is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay - Obama

AUSTRALIA: President Barack Obama signalled a pivotal US shift to Asia on Thursday, pledging not to let Washington’s budget crunch compromise his expansive vision and military presence in the region.

“The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay,” Obama declared in the Australian parliament on the latest stop of a tour that he said augured a “larger and long-term role” in shaping Asia.

His commitment came a day after the United States said it would deploy up to 2,500 Marines to northern Australia and tighten air force cooperation, sparking concern from China, whose rapid rise is reorienting Asia’s strategic balance.

In a message aimed both at a dynamic region he sees as key to the US economic future and budget-slashing Republicans at home, Obama said the Asia-Pacific was too vital to fall prey to US penny-pinching.

“As the United States puts our fiscal house in order, we are reducing our spending,” Obama said, warning that reductions in funding for the US military machine were inevitable after years of huge spending in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But he added: “Here is what this region must know.

As we end today’s wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and missions in the Asia-Pacific a top priority. AFP