Challenges await Obama in Japan, China

Tokyo is pursuing a more independent path, and Beijing continues to grow as an economic powerhouse.

By MARK S. SMITH, Associated Press

Last update: November 12, 2009 - 8:49 PM

WASHINGTON - Facing a daunting array of challenges in Asia, President Obama left Thursday on his first major trip to the region, where a surging China and newly assertive Japan are chipping away at America's standing on diplomacy and trade.

Already the most-traveled first-year U.S. president, Obama took off for Tokyo on an Asian journey that will add four countries -- Japan, China, Singapore and South Korea -- to the 16 he's already visited. The trip also will highlight a dramatically changing continent.

"One of my most important tasks is to continue to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Asia," Obama said in a pre-trip interview.

New Japanese leader

Obama was arriving in Japan today, one day later than originally planned, after his schedule was scrambled by his trip Tuesday to Fort Hood, Texas, for the memorial service for the soldiers slain there. His stop in Singapore for the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, originally scheduled for two days, was cut back to 20 hours.

Awaiting Obama in Japan is a new prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, whose Democratic Party of Japan swept to power this fall by pushing out the long-ruling party. Hatoyama has vowed to have a more equal partnership with Washington.

Within weeks of taking office in September, his government announced that it would withdraw from an eight-year mission in the Indian Ocean refueling warships supporting U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.

Hatoyama has also promised to review the agreement for basing 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan and to explore the possibility of a new Asian trading bloc excluding the United States.

"Japan sees its future more within Asia," said Eswar Prasad, an Asia specialist and professor at Cornell University. "They feel that they owe a lot less to the U.S. right now. U.S. economic policy is hurting them in a lot of ways, particularly with the decline in the value of the dollar versus the yen."

In a pre-trip talk with Japan's NHK network, Obama played down any friction, saying the relationship with Japan was "one of equals."

While Obama's Singapore stop for the APEC meeting was trimmed, there was no stinting on China.

Easily his biggest challenge in Asia is the rising economic and military power of China. Obama will meet with Chinese leaders in Shanghai and Beijing, tour the Great Wall and Forbidden City and hold a town hall meeting with Chinese youngsters at a Shanghai museum during a three-day stay.

While the United States is still struggling out of its deepest recession in decades, China's economy is bouncing back briskly.

Uneven trade with China

A vast trade gap exists. China's currency -- by U.S. reckoning -- is hugely undervalued, although Beijing signaled Thursday that it is ready to allow it to rise. And there are trade disputes between the two countries on everything from Chinese tire exports to DVD piracy.

On other issues, Obama hopes to enlist China's help in thwarting nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea and get its cooperation on a new climate treaty.

Obama closes the trip with a visit to South Korea just as the United States is sending an envoy to north Korea for rare direct talks.

Pondering this difficult Asian landscape, Obama told NHK he considers himself a child of the Pacific Rim -- a native of Hawaii with "fond memories" of visiting Tokyo on the way to Indonesia, where he also lived.

The New York Times contributed to this report.

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