Obama set to visit 'partner, competitor' China
By Caren Bohan |
November 13, 2009, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
US President Barack Obama was scheduled to leave for Asia yesterday with the US economy, jobs and a yawning trade deficit with China looming large on his agenda.
Global climate change, the North Korean and Iranian nuclear disputes and Obama's review of his Afghanistan strategy are also major topics for his talks with officials from China and other countries on the first trip of his presidency to Asia.
In an interview with Reuters this week, Obama described China as a "vital partner, as well as a competitor." But he warned of "enormous strains" in relations between the two countries if economic imbalances between them were not corrected.
Obama's nine-day tour will begin in Tokyo and includes a stop in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, followed by visits to Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul.
Obama said he would talk to the Chinese about revaluing their currency, the yuan, as well as encouraging Chinese consumers to spend more and opening Chinese markets further to US goods.
With the US unemployment rate now at 10.2 percent, the Obama administration hopes an emphasis on building export opportunities will play well at home.
Giving Obama a possible boost ahead of the trip, China signaled on Wednesday it might allow further appreciation of the yuan.
But Obama may face some pushback from China and other countries that worry Washington's drive for economic cooperation with Asia may be too one-sided.
China is upset over US moves to slap tariffs on Chinese tires and steel pipes, while South Korea and other countries harbor doubts over whether Obama, elected with strong labor union support, is committed enough to a free trade agenda.
One of Obama's main messages will be a promise to put a high priority on engagement with the dynamic Asia-Pacific region, where he has personal connections, having grown up in Hawaii and Indonesia.
"The president is the first president of the United States really with an Asia-Pacific orientation," said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. "He understands the future of our prosperity and our security is very much tied to this part of the world."
Underscoring the importance placed on the three-day China visit, Obama's itinerary includes a formal state dinner, a series of meetings with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao and a dialogue in Shanghai with Chinese youth.
Global climate change, the North Korean and Iranian nuclear disputes and Obama's review of his Afghanistan strategy are also major topics for his talks with officials from China and other countries on the first trip of his presidency to Asia.
In an interview with Reuters this week, Obama described China as a "vital partner, as well as a competitor." But he warned of "enormous strains" in relations between the two countries if economic imbalances between them were not corrected.
Obama's nine-day tour will begin in Tokyo and includes a stop in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, followed by visits to Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul.
Obama said he would talk to the Chinese about revaluing their currency, the yuan, as well as encouraging Chinese consumers to spend more and opening Chinese markets further to US goods.
With the US unemployment rate now at 10.2 percent, the Obama administration hopes an emphasis on building export opportunities will play well at home.
Giving Obama a possible boost ahead of the trip, China signaled on Wednesday it might allow further appreciation of the yuan.
But Obama may face some pushback from China and other countries that worry Washington's drive for economic cooperation with Asia may be too one-sided.
China is upset over US moves to slap tariffs on Chinese tires and steel pipes, while South Korea and other countries harbor doubts over whether Obama, elected with strong labor union support, is committed enough to a free trade agenda.
One of Obama's main messages will be a promise to put a high priority on engagement with the dynamic Asia-Pacific region, where he has personal connections, having grown up in Hawaii and Indonesia.
"The president is the first president of the United States really with an Asia-Pacific orientation," said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. "He understands the future of our prosperity and our security is very much tied to this part of the world."
Underscoring the importance placed on the three-day China visit, Obama's itinerary includes a formal state dinner, a series of meetings with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao and a dialogue in Shanghai with Chinese youth.
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