Former President Barack Obama is re-emerging on the global stage with a three-country tour that includes meetings with the leaders of China and India.
Obama’s office says he arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday to speak at a business conference. He’ll also address an education conference in Beijing before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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Then in India, Obama will speak at a leadership meeting in New Delhi and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He’ll also hold a town hall meeting for young people hosted by his foundation.
Obama’s trip finishes in Paris, where he’ll speak at another conference and have private meetings.
The tour comes as President Donald Trump is courting the leaders of China and India, as he did during a visit to Beijing earlier this month.
Obama has taken a back seat since Trump took office in January. But before he left the White House, he vowed to come out fighting against any major issue he feels passionate about.
The former president made good on this promise when Trump revealed his plans to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Obama championed the movement which has provided nearly 800,000 young immigrants — often referred to as ‘dreamers’ — a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the US.
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He dismantled Trump’s move, branding it ‘self-defeating’.
Obama said: ‘Self-defeating – because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel. What if our kid’s science teacher, or our friendly neighbor turns out to be a Dreamer? Where are we supposed to send her? To a country she doesn’t know or remember, with a language she may not even speak?’
He said the decision is not motivated by legality, but is a political one.
