Mr Obama’s remarks came at the end of a gruelling nine-day trip that took him to Laos and China following United States stops in Nevada, Hawaii and Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
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Obama has repeatedly warned against the perils of the Trump presidency, suggesting the Republican nominee would be woefully unprepared to take office should he win in November. “It was not a long interaction, and what I indicated to him is that my team should be meeting with his and determine how we can move forward on a whole range of issues”, Obama said.
Topping that list is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation free-trade deal Obama helped broker. Obama said he planned to do everything possible to persuade lawmakers to approve it before year’s end.
In recent weeks, 15 prisoners at Guantanamo were sent to the United Arab Emirates in the single largest release of detainees during the Obama administration.
Obama laughed off the idea he needed to defend himself against Trump’s assertion that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a stronger leader.
Obama also downplayed the significance of the public insult aimed his way by newly elected Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who lost out on his scheduled private meeting with Obama when he threatened to curse at him if he brought up human rights and due process concerns about his government.
The brazen Duterte previously vowed not to be lectured to by the USA leader over alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines in a statement made before his departure for Laos.
On Thursday, Duterte did not show up a summit of Asian leaders and Obama, leading to speculation among reporters that he might have been trying to avoid the awkwardness and judgment of his fellow leaders for his undiplomatic remarks.
Duterte’s choice of words seemed to be “a habit”, Obama added.
Setting aside a prepared speech, Duterte spoke for more than five minutes about human rights and his campaign against drugs during the East Asian Summit in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, according to one Indonesian diplomat at the meeting.
“I realize this raises tensions”, Obama said earlier as he met with ASEAN leaders, referring to a recent worldwide arbitration ruling against China on the maritime dispute.
Mr Li said he hoped bilateral relations could “realise healthy, stable development”, the statement said.
Obama, who lived in Indonesia as a boy with his mother, a development worker, told a group of young leaders that the emphasis he had placed on Asia over his two terms was personal.
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The White House tried to play down the claim, saying it believed Chinese activity in the area was at the same level as previous months.
