Obama: US stronger on world stage despite setbacks

President Barack Obama claimed today he had a stronger hand on the world stage despite electoral defeats at home, failure to get a free-trade agreement with South Korea and lacklustre international support for his policy with China on trade and currency disputes.

“It wasn’t any easier to talk about currency when I was first elected and my poll numbers were at 65%,” Obama said at the close of the G20 summit in South Korea, after bluntly accusing Beijing of undervaluing its currency.