Tour to reassure Beijing, boost US in Asia

LONDON - Foreign policy analysts said US Vice-President Joe Biden's tour of Asia had two key aims - reassuring China that its massive holding of US debt was safe and intensifying Washington's role in Asia.

Biden arrived in Japan on Tuesday for the final leg of his Asian tour, which included six days in China and a one-day visit to Mongolia.

His tour came at a difficult time for the US economy and the US wanted to highlight Beijing and Washington's shared interests, Michael Cox, a professor at London School of Economics and Political Science, told China Daily.