Remember how President Obama was going to make the US the
popular kid at the table again?
Hatoyama has promised to halt a Japanese naval mission supporting the US-led war in Afghanistan, review basing agreements for 47,000 US troops stationed in Japan, and explore the possibility of a new Asian trading block that would exclude the US.
But Obama knows he's too cool to worry about those kids:
Robert Bianchi, a visiting professor at Qatar University's international affairs programme, said that the "tenor" of US-Japan relations had already been changing.
"Japan is being a bit more demanding with the United States and more accommodating with China. That is perfectly logical, I think they are bending with the wind and the US understands that and is not getting in the way," he told Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, remember --
China is not a threat!
Calling for greater U.S. engagement in Asia, Obama said Americans should not fear a robust China, but he cautioned that all nations must respect human rights, including religious freedoms.
"We welcome China's efforts to play a greater role on the world stage, a role in which their growing economy is joined by growing responsibility," Obama said.
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