subject: Obama Begins First Presidential Tour Of Asia [print this page] Mr. Obama is traveling from November 11 to 19, with stops in Singapore, China, Japan and South Korea.
The visit indicates the regions importance to the United States specifically East Asia since Beijing is the largest foreign holder of U.S. treasury certificates with 24 percent followed by Japan with 20.6 percent. The United States also shares important issues with Beijing regarding trade, North Korea, Iran, climate change and the global economic recovery.
Tomorrow, Mr. Obama is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo, Japan and will meet with new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. On November 15 the U.S. president will be in Singapore for the the APEC summit while also meeting with Singapore President Lee Hsien Loong, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the 10 leaders of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations.
He will arrive in Shanghai, China on November 16 before proceeding to Beijing to have dinner with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Mr. Obama will be in China until November 18 afterward he will proceed to South Korea for a meeting with President Lee Myung-Bak and a visit to the U.S. bases in the country.
Its a common perception in the region that U.S. influence has been on the decline in the last decade, while Chinese influence has been increasing, U.S. East Asia aide Jeffrey Bader said in a statement. One of the messages that the president will be sending in his visit is that we are an Asia-Pacific nation and we are there for the long haul.
This will be Mr. Obamas first overseas trip after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October.
by: Dezan Shira & Associates
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