Obama launches Pacific tour

US President Barack Obama turned from the threat of global contagion posed by Europe to trying to harness the economic potential of Asia yesterday, setting off on a nine-day journey across the Pacific.

Mr Obama left Washington and will host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in his native Hawaii, just a week after pressing Europe’s top leaders to take swift action to contain a eurozone debt crisis at the G20 summit in France. The President will then journey on to Australia, to re-orient a 60-year strategic alliance in a new century marked by the rise of China, and take part in the East Asia summit in Bali, Indonesia.

A two-week interlude of foreign policy in Mr Obama’s increasingly domestically focused Administration offers a symbolic contrast between struggling Europe, where America has its historic roots, and Asia which may define its future. Burgeoning middle classes of India and China and Asia’s expanding trade routes, markets and shipping lanes will play a key role as the US seeks to maintain its superpower status in the 21st century.

Mr Obama, who has dubbed himself America’s first “Pacific President” will seek to stress America is at a pivot point, as it leaves Iraq this year, aides said.