Obama's Asia tour

Barack Obama kicked off his first trip to Asia as US president on Friday, holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Both were keen to stress their cooperation on a wide range of issues including nuclear non-proliferation and efforts to tackle climate change.

Japan is one of America's oldest allies in East Asia, and Obama highlighted that the alliance with Japan was a "foundation" for peace and prosperity in the region. Nevertheless the newly elected Democratic Party doesn't appear to be as supportive of a strong US-Japan alliance, and has called for a smaller US military "footprint" on Japanese soil. Obama is due to give a major speech in Tokyo on Saturday outlining his ideas for America's new role in the region.

The week-long tour, which also includes stops in Singapore, Beijing and Seoul, is intended to lay the groundwork for future cooperation, according to administration officials and analysts, and it marks a notable shift in US involvement in the region, where Chinese influence has grown considerably in recent years.

"If you do not hold your ground in the Pacific, you cannot be a world leader," remarked Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in Washington last week.

Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, was often perceived as ignoring Asia's economic growth - much to the chagrin of officials there. Now, Obama will seek to assure the region of continued US engagement, but analysts say relations have grown more complex in wake of Asia's economic transformation.

Indeed, just days after world leaders celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, which was widely interpreted as the triumph of western ideas, Obama's Asia visit will highlight just how much has changed in two decades.

"China, especially during the past two years, [has] emerged as a global economic powerhouse," Cheng Li, an expert on US-China relations at the Brookings Institution in Washington, told Deutsche Welle. "And it really came as a big surprise, although many China analysts had predicted China's rise."

"The period [in which] China is a student lectured by the West is coming to an end," he added.

China poses new challenges

Obama called China "a vital partner, as well as a competitor" ahead of his departure, and his stops in Beijing and Shanghai are perhaps the most crucial legs of his tour. China is America's second largest trading partner - and its largest creditor.

There have been several indicators ahead of Obama's visit that point to a power shift in US-China relations.

"A year ago, Hillary Clinton, during the campaign, argued that the United States should boycott our Olympics, but now she's become a spokesperson for the Shanghai Expo - she visited the Shanghai Expo site - so that tells you how dramatic change has been," said Cheng Li.

Furthermore, Obama declined to meet with the Dalai Lama last month during his trip to Washington, making him the first president since 1991 to do so.

Recently, the US administration also backed the replacement of the G-8 group of wealthy industrialized nations with the G-20, which includes China, to converge on matters of the global economy.

But Francois Godement, an East Asia expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, believes the hype about Asia's rise and America's waning influence is overstated.

"I see US popularity increasing, not decreasing, and that's the Obama factor as you look at all of the opinion polls throughout Asia - it's a big change from a year ago," Godement told Deutsche Welle.

Aside from economic matters, the US sees Chinese cooperation as essential on two key issues: containing the nuclear ambitions of both North Korea and Iran, and negotiating a deal on carbon emissions caps at the upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen.

Mending strained relations in tough economic times

In Singapore, Obama will participate in the Leaders Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), where the aim will be to strengthen US ties with countries that form the Asssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Obama has agreed to engage with Burma, opening the door for talks with ASEAN leaders who had previously clashed with former president Bush over the issue.

But the financial crisis will undoubtedly complicate Obama's agenda. At a time when the US seeks to expand its influence in Asia, Obama would be hard-pressed to convince Congress to support any new free-trade agreements. Many Americans feel threatened by Asia's rise and the impact it will have on their jobs, especially during a period of record high unemployment.

Analysts say they don't expect any concrete achievements from the trip on any of the major issues - trade, non-nuclear proliferation, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, and climate change - but Asian leaders are said to be excited about renewed US interest in the region.

Author: Vanessa Johnston
Editor: Rob Mudge