- Title: Obama addresses youth at APEC summit
- Date: 19th November 2016
- Summary: LIMA, PERU (NOVEMBER 19, 2016) (REUTERS) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA WALKING INTO YOUNG LEADERS OF THE AMERICAS INITIATIVE TOWN HALL AND AUDIENCE APPLAUDING OBAMA WAVING OBAMA WALKING TO PODIUM AND SAYING 'HELLO PERU' VARIOUS OF OBAMA ON STAGE AND MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, SAYING: "Democracy means that sometimes you have to compromise and it means that the outcomes of elections don't always turn out the way you would hope. We are going through that in the United States and I'm doing everything I can to help facilitate a successful transition with the president-elect in the United States but as long as we keep our democratic systems open, then the society has a chance to try something new and it can make a decision and correct problems they see in the future and progress will continue." AUDIENCE MEMBERS APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, SAYING: "The alliance between the United States and Europe through NATO is very strong and the president-elect Trump has already reaffirmed our commitment to NATO. We actually have been asking under my administration for Europe to carry more of the burden of defense spending than they've been doing because the United States spends a lot more than some of our NATO partners and they recognize and acknowledge, I think, the need for them to spend more resources on that." AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, SAYING: "There are going to be tensions that arise, probably around trade more than anything else, because the president-elect campaigned on looking at every trade policy and potentially reversing some of those policies but once they look at how it's working, I think they will determine that it's actually good both for the United States and our trading partners." VARIOUS OF OBAMA BIDDING AUDIENCE GOOD-BYE AND WALKING OFF STAGE
- Embargoed: 4th December 2016 23:09
- Keywords: Barack Obama Trump APEC trade TPP
- Location: LIMA, PERU
- City: LIMA, PERU
- Country: Peru
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001594116V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. President Barack Obama told young people in Peru on Saturday (November 19) that, through democracy, citizens can try something new even when elections have disappointing results.
Speaking on the sidelines of the APEC Summit, Obama referred to the recent U.S. election that will usher in President Donald Trump, whose protectionist policies threaten free-trade options like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), backed by the Obama administration.
"Democracy means that sometimes you have to compromise and it means that the outcomes of elections don't always turn out the way you would hope. We are going through that in the United States and I'm doing everything I can to help facilitate a successful transition with the president-elect in the United States but as long as we keep our democratic systems open, then the society has a chance to try something new and it can make a decision and correct problems they see in the future and progress will continue," he said.
Obama has championed the TPP as a way to counter China's rise, but his administration has now stopped trying to win congressional approval for the deal signed by 12 economies in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, excluding China. Without U.S. approval the current agreement cannot be implemented.
Throughout his campaign, Trump strongly criticized U.S. free-trade deals as bad for jobs, vowing to pull the world's biggest economy out of the TPP and promising to impose tariffs on imports from trade partners China and Mexico.
He has also said he would ask western allies in NATO to increase defense spending.
"The alliance between the United States and Europe through NATO is very strong and the president-elect Trump has already reaffirmed our commitment to NATO. We actually have been asking under my administration for Europe to carry more of the burden of defense spending than they've been doing because the United States spends a lot more than some of our NATO partners and they recognize and acknowledge, I think, the need for them to spend more resources on that," he added.
The annual APEC summit got under way in Lima just over a week after Trump's surprise victory dashed hopes of the largest-ever U.S.-proposed trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), coming to fruition.
China's Xi is selling an alternate vision for regional trade by promoting the Beijing-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which as it stands excludes the Americas.
It said it would take the lead on trade if the U.S. turned toward protectionism.
The Obama administration has warned that the RCEP would not include strong protections for workers, the environment or intellectual property.
"There are going to be tensions that arise, probably around trade more than anything else, because the president-elect campaigned on looking at every trade policy and potentially reversing some of those policies but once they look at how it's working, I think they will determine that it's actually good both for the United States and our trading partners," he said.
Several APEC members said it was too soon to write off support from Trump on the TPP. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Obama was not a TPP supporter when he was originally elected but eventually became one of its greatest advocates. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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