With two rows of sailors standing behind him, President Barack Obama strode along Manila Harbor last November to inspect an aging U.S. Coast Guard cutter that is now the pride of the Philippine Navy.
The vessel was once part of a 12-cutter coast guard fleet known for requiring never-ending maintenance to stay afloat. Now, it is a tangible example of Obama's attempt to reorient U.S. foreign policy toward Asia and confront Chinese expansion in the Pacific.
The gift of the 50-year-old coast guard cutter shows the difficulty of turning U.S. military and economic focus toward the part of the world Obama believes is most vital to America's future. A sweeping trade deal with 11 Pacific Rim nations, considered critical to the strategy, is in danger of rejection by the U.S. Congress. And China, the chief U.S. rival in the region, is aggressively pursuing territorial claims and increasing its belligerence toward U.S. friends and allies, including the Philippines, Japan and Vietnam.