
“Unmatched American leadership has laid a strong foundation for regional peace and prosperity in the region. But, in a dangerous and uncertain world, we cannot relinquish that leadership.”
November 12, 2016
Seven years ago, President Obama joined the leaders of 20 other economies for the APEC summit in Singapore—his first trip to Asia as president. When President Obama took office, the global economy was still reeling from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The United States was consumed with two major, costly ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not nearly as engaged in the world’s fastest growing region, the Asia-Pacific.