Obama to bolster US \\\'rebalance\\\' to Asia

President Barack Obama will use an Asian tour beginning next week to bolster US alliances in the region at a time of increased geopolitical tension. Obama is scheduled to visit Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines, and will be under duress to address maritime territorial disputes between US allies and China. Aides said on Friday that the President would restate staunch US support for its friends, underline its role as a Pacific power, and seek to reassure the region that his Asia ‘rebalancing’ strategy is not running out of steam. Obama will also attempt to make progress in dragged out negotiations over the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, and reassure potential partners that he could get it endorsed by a reluctant Congress. Obama is set to travel to Asia on Tuesday, but will certainly remain preoccupied by simmering foreign policy crises elsewhere, especially in Ukraine and in the Middle East, according to AFP.