Charles Dharapak / AP Photo
After suffering electoral defeat back home, President Obama used the first day of his Asia tour to announce $10 billion in new contracts for U.S. exports to India, which, he said, will create American jobs. "The United States sees Asia, and especially India, as a market of the future," Obama said. The president's Asian tour got off to a solemn start Saturday, with a visit to the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, the site of the four-day siege that killed more than 170 people in 2008. The choice was intended “to send a very clear message that in our determination to give our people a future of security and prosperity, the United States and India stand united,” said Obama. For the rest of the 10-day trip, Obama will shift his focus to business. After India, Obama will go to Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan. Business is on the agenda in South Korea, where he will attend the G20 gathering, and Japan, where he will attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. “The whole focus,” Obama said on Wednesday, “is on how are we going to open up markets so that American businesses can prosper, and we can sell more goods and create more jobs here in the United States.”