Acknowledging that Obama is missing opportunities for direct diplomacy with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and others attending a series of international trade and cooperation meetings, Kerry was at pains to tell Asian leaders that they should not read too much into the absence.
That left Kerry, as ObamaÂ’s stand-in, arguing that the United States is every bit as committed to Asia as the presidentÂ’s first-term promises led many in the region to believe, and that the government shutdown that led Obama to stay home threatens AmericaÂ’s reputation abroad.