Obama talks of his legacy, questions China's expansion at leadership event

WASHINGTON, June 1 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama spoke to dozens of hopeful Southeast Asian leaders on Monday, to commemorate their involvement in a new government-sponsored fellowship program intended to enrich the partnership and future growth between the United States and their homelands.

As part of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), Obama hosted 75 emerging leaders from the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries -- which include Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.

Obama spoke to the fellows to help guide them in their future use of the educational and professional experience they gained in the United States, to address the regional challenges and opportunities upon their return to Southeast Asia, the White House said.

"I have a special attachment to Southeast Asia," Obama said. "As a boy I lived in Jakarta (Indonesia). My mother spent years working in villages to help women improve their lives. So Southeast Asia helped shape who I am and how I see the world.

"Diversity has to be celebrated and it has to be protected."

The young foreign nationals have been in the United States for a few weeks, and are the first members of the YSEALI Fellowship program that was announced by Obama in November, the White House said.

"I don't come from a privileged background. And yet, today I am here with you at the home of the president of the United States," said journalist Zin Mar Myint, of Myanmar, who met Obama in Burma last year when the initiative was announced. "I grew up in an education system where you were taught to do only what you were told.

"Counter to my wishes, I studied pharmacy ... a future for which I had no passion. My passion to become part of this movement led me to become a journalist," she noted, moments before she introduced Obama at the podium.

Obama engaged for about 60 minutes in a question and answer session with the Southeast Asian leaders and touched on several different topics, including his view of politics and how he hopes his legacy will be viewed.

"For me, throughout my political career -- even before I was in politics, just working as a community organizer -- I knew that I wanted to work to create more opportunities for all people," Obama said in response to a young lady from the Philippines, who asked for advice on how aspiring public servants might approach the political arena. "Part of one of my core principles is I will never engage in the politics in which I'm trying to divide people or make them less than me because they look different, or have a different religion. That's a core principle. That's not something I would violate.

"You may even lose an election some times. But at least you will know every morning when you wake up and you look at yourself in the mirror, 'I know who I am and why I'm doing what I'm doing,'" he added. "Unfortunately, too many politicians, they are just climbing the ladder but they don't know why ... they are not very effective leaders."

When asked directly how he wants his leadership to be remembered when he leaves office in 2017, Obama quipped, "fondly, I hope" -- which was followed by an outburst of laughter from the audience. "I'm still very much focused on what's in front of me."

Minutes earlier, a young man from Vietnam asked Obama how the 10 ASEAN member nations might best handle present political and cultural challenges in Southeast Asia, and how they may be aided by the United States.

"Working together you can accomplish more," Obama replied. "Part of the goal here is to make sure that each country is reinforcing the best [practices] and laws and observing human rights. And being critical when one country slips, and in a constructive way that allows for a path to improvement."

One of the final questions inquired about the president's views on what some consider to be unlawful Chinese expansion in the South China Sea -- where Beijing has created artificial islands that some worry might be used for illegal military or economic advantages.

"The truth is, China will be successful. It's big, it's powerful, its people are talented and they work hard. It may be that some of their (territorial) claims are legitimate," Obama said. "But they shouldn't try to establish that by throwing elbows and pushing people out of the way."

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said last week that the United States won't shy away from confronting Beijing in its expansion efforts, and called for a "immediate and lasting halt" to its building of islands on at least five small reefs to lay claim to vital shipping lanes in the South China Sea.

Secretary of State John Kerry said last month the Obama administration is "concerned" about those movements.

YSEALI, which will bring about 500 young leaders from Southeast Asia to the United States every year, is Obama's signature initiative to strengthen leadership development across the ASEAN nations, as well as strengthen U.S. ties with Southeast Asia, the White House said.