US should not be led astray

HOW HE WILL REASSURE HIS COUNTRY'S allies without leaving the impression the United States and its allies are ganging up on China will be a test of US President Barack Obama's political acumen as he starts a four-nation visit to the Asia-Pacific in Japan on Wednesday.

This will be a difficult balancing act, as he has to sustain the US' image as a credible ally, while at the same time not fueling speculation that Washington is dedicated to containing China, an allegation the White House has vehemently denied.

Despite the same old reassurances being repeated time and again by officials from both the White House and the Pentagon, the leaders of Japan and the Philippines want desperately to hear it from the lips of the US commander-in-chief, because they want a shot in the arm to give them the bravado to continue messing with China.