Obama back in Washington after weeklong Asian trip

President Barack Obama prepares to board his limousine after arriving in the rain on Air Force One, Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, en route to Washington after a four-country swing through the Asia-Pacific region. AP PHOTO/CAROLYN KASTER

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama returned home to Washington Tuesday after a weeklong tour of Asia aimed at reassuring US allies there about America’s commitment to the region.

Air Force One landed at Joint Base Andrews east of the American capital at 3:46 p.m. (1946 GMT) after a 16-hour trip from Manila, the US leader’s fourth and final stop.

Over the course of the tour, which also took him to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, Obama sought to convince officials that Washington was genuinely keen on rebalancing US power to the region.

Obama also warned China over its conduct in territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, prompting Beijing to accuse him of ganging up with “troublemaking” allies.

“We believe that international law must be upheld, that freedom of navigation must be preserved and commerce must not be impeded. We believe that disputes must be resolved peacefully and not by intimidation or force,” Obama said in the Philippine capital.

The trip, marked by numerous news conferences, was also an opportunity for Obama to defend his foreign policy at a time when the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is in tatters and the crisis in Ukraine shows no signs of abating.

Back at the White House, Obama will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday for a meeting that will prominently feature tensions between Kiev and the Kremlin.

On the domestic political front, spring will likely be focused on campaigning ahead of mid-term elections in November that do not look too promising for fellow Democrats. In fact, the party looks unlikely to be able to retake the House of Representatives and faces an uphill battle to retain control of the Senate, according to recent polls.