WASHINGTON: Back from an Asia tour, President Barack Obama called Saturday for the United States to produce more goods to sell across the Pacific, touting trade as a way to revive the troubled US economy.
Facing rising unemployment and slipping poll numbers, Obama assured the public that creating new jobs back home was his top priority on the weeklong tour that took him to Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea. “I traveled to Asia to open a new era of American engagement,” Obama said in his weekly radio address, recorded while he was in Seoul.
“Above all, I spoke with leaders in every nation I visited about what we can do to sustain this economic recovery and bring back jobs and prosperity for our people — a task I will continue to focus on relentlessly in the weeks and months ahead.”