No sooner had the curtain fallen on the summit meetings in Bali, Indonesia, than US President Barack Obama sent home the message that he had garnered business deals to support hundreds of thousands of jobs for his countrymen.

His country's struggling economy needs them. His chances of re-election need them.

That is why Obama portrayed his nine-day trip around the Pacific Rim as a hunt for new markets.

And he knows the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the East Asia Summit meetings are ideal venues for doing that, at least before the Trans-Pacific Partnership begins to deliver meaningful benefits.

The idea of beefing up its influence in the Asia Pacific is both logical and imperative for the US. And Obama's latest description of his country as a "Pacific power", both at the APEC summit in Honolulu and at the Australian Parliament, came as no surprise. Nor did his proposal to make US presence in the region "a top priority".

A stronger US presence in the Asia-Pacific economic scene is good for all parties. That is why, in spite of all the speculation and rhetoric about US attempts to contain China, the Chinese side has by and large taken the US debut at the Bali summit as something positive. Constructive US engagement with the local economies and more direct interaction will create jobs not only for Americans.

Yet the fast momentum of growth in the region would have been impossible were it not for the peace and harmony achieved through decades of hard work.

That Asia-Pacific nations have managed to navigate their way around some otherwise divisive disputes and seek common prosperity is a precious achievement that should be cherished by all, including those that want to benefit from it. What the US has so far brought to the region, however, has the potential to disturb this elusive and fragile achievement.

Both Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to scare monger by exaggerating "security concerns".

The decision to enlarge the US military presence in Australia, according to Obama, aims to "preserve" his country's "unique ability to project power and deter threats to peace." In Bali at different venues, he missed no opportunity to highlight "security concerns" regarding the South China Sea. The US president wanted China to be aware of its new role and behave "in a responsible way".

But he is obviously worrying too much. The "security concerns" he referred to - if he is referring to China - are imaginary. This country is committed to the road of peaceful development and resolving disputes through negotiation.

Just as Premier Wen Jiabao told Obama, China and its Asian neighbors are doing fine, and the shipping lanes in the South China Sea are "safe and free".

And, given its own growing reliance on overseas trade, China has equal, if not graver, concerns about security on the seas.

If the Americans want to share the fruit of lasting prosperity in the Asia Pacific, they must be sensitive to the fundamental interests of the regional community, and participate in a responsible manner.

(China Daily 11/21/2011 page8)