5:51 am
Sat April 26, 2014

China's Rising Influence Looms Over Obama's Asia Trip

Originally published on Sat April 26, 2014 9:30 am




NPR's Anthony Kuhn is in Seoul, South Korea and we asked him what the reactions been to North Korea's threat to launch a nuclear test.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: Well, luckily they did not test a nuclear bomb, which they threatened to do. This did not happen while the president was in South Korea. He's now safely in Malaysia, but this morning, this was a major theme as both President Obama and his South Korean counterpart, Park Geun-hye visited the combined forces command for the first time. They emphasized they're beefing up South Korea's defenses. If North Korea conducts a nuclear test, they will push for tougher sanctions.










Of course he wanted to make progress on this Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade pact that is crucial to his Asia policy. He could claim some progress but no breakthroughs. And I think there have been concerns in the region about the U.S.'s ability to maintain a focus - also whether it has the economic wherewithal to maintain its commitments.



SIMON: NPR's Anthony Kuhn in Seoul. Thanks so much.

KUHN: You're welcome, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.