Barack Obama is accelerating his pivot to Asia, and seeking closer ties with Laos and new trade partners in the region, Dustin Daugherty, ASEAN Business Intelligence Associate at Dezan Shira & Associates, told Radio Sputnik.

At the Association of�Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in�Laos this week, US President Barack Obama made a speech in�which he sought to�acknowledge the suffering and devastation caused by�America's bombing campaign during�the Vietnam War.

Between 1964 and 1973 the US dropped 260 million bombs over�Laos, a campaign which made it the world's most heavily bombed country in�human history.

Obama is the first sitting US president to�visit Laos, and promised the country $90 million in�aid over�three years to�help the country find and dispose of�unexploded bombs. Dustin Daugherty, ASEAN Business Intelligence Associate at�Dezan Shira & Associates, told Radio Sputnik that Obama's effort to�build bridges with�Laos is one of�several attempts at�a closer relationship with�countries that have a difficult history with�the US. "Many Americans might not be aware of�it, or haven't heard of�Laos since�the 70s, but�there is a troubled relationship there, so I think these moves are very positive and part and parcel of�his legacy of�having opened the door to�Cuba, and the nuclear deal with�Iran."

Daugherty said that reaching out�to Laos is also part of�the Obama administration's attempt to�pivot towards�Asia. While pulling Laos out�of the China's sphere of�influence is unrealistic, Washington is hoping for�closer economic ties, similar to�those it has with�Vietnam.

"Washington has a modus operandi to�get in�there, and now it has an economic impetus behind�it." The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is unlikely to�be agreed before�the Obama presidency finishes at�the end of�this year, so fostering closer ties with�Laos and attracting new Asian trade partners would soften that blow.� "Any improvements that can be had with�new trade partners in�Asia in�lieu of�the TPP would be a concession prize for�Obama," Daugherty said. "This is a last push during�the Obama presidency, with�some uncertainty about�what happens next, and also a response to�the continuing rise of�China's influence in�the region."

By Sputnik News