Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:30am EST
BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese government spokesman said Barack Obama should be especially sympathetic to China's opposition to the Dalai Lama and Tibetan independence, as a black president who lauded Abraham Lincoln for helping abolish slavery.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the comments at a news conference on Thursday, four days before Obama arrives in China for a summit that will cover the two big powers' vast and sometimes tense economic, diplomatic and security ties.
Obama did not meet Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, when he was in Washington in early October. But the Dalai Lama has said they may meet after Obama's visit to China, which condemns the Buddhist monk as a separatist for demanding Tibetan self-determination.
China is sure to condemn such a meeting, and spokesman Qin underscored -- and possibly intensified -- the political temperature of the issue by citing Obama's background and admiration for President Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the secession of the southern states and sought to abolish slavery, which Qin likened to Tibetan society under the Dalai Lama.
After Obama's inauguration, the U.S. president said he would not have been able to reach that position without the efforts of Lincoln, said Qin.
"He is a black president, and he understands the slavery abolition movement and Lincoln's major significance for that movement," said Qin.
"Lincoln played an incomparable role in protecting the national unity and territorial integrity of the United States."
Beijing calls the Dalai Lama a dangerous "splittist" encouraging Tibetan independence, a charge he denies. He says he is merely seeking true autonomy for Tibet, which last year erupted in riots and protests against the Chinese presence.
China's stance was like Lincoln's, said Qin.
"Thus on this issue we hope that President Obama, more than any other foreign leader, can better, more deeply grasp China's stance on protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Qin.
Asked about any broader consequences of a possible meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama, Qin said Beijing opposes any such meetings between the exiled Tibetan leader and foreign leaders, and said the issue was among China's core concerns.
"We must treasure the positive circumstances and opportunities for China-U.S. relations," Qin said.
"In particular, both sides must respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and Tibetan issues are among China's core interests and major concerns."
(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Ken Wills)
© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Russia to be modernized using democratic values - Medvedev
12:53 12/11/2009
MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - Modernization of Russia in the 21st century will be based on values and institutions of democracy, the Russian president said on Thursday.
"In the 21st century the country again needs an all-embracing modernization and this will be our first experience in modernization based on values and institutions of democracy," Dmitry Medvedev said at his annual state-of-the-nation address.
The president said that the largest part of the Russian economy is a heritage from the Soviet era, which is extremely outdated.
"It is high time for today's generations of the Russian people to express themselves and raise Russia to a new and higher level in developing civilization," the president said.
"Instead of an archaic society, where leaders think and decide for everyone, we will become a society that is clever, free and responsible," he added.
MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - Modernization of Russia in the 21st century will be based on values and institutions of democracy, the Russian president said on Thursday.
"In the 21st century the country again needs an all-embracing modernization and this will be our first experience in modernization based on values and institutions of democracy," Dmitry Medvedev said at his annual state-of-the-nation address.
The president said that the largest part of the Russian economy is a heritage from the Soviet era, which is extremely outdated.
"It is high time for today's generations of the Russian people to express themselves and raise Russia to a new and higher level in developing civilization," the president said.
"Instead of an archaic society, where leaders think and decide for everyone, we will become a society that is clever, free and responsible," he added.
Russia's economy to recover fully in 2012 - Kremlin aide
18:11 12/11/2009
MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian economy is expected to reach its 2008 pre-crisis level in 2012, Kremlin economic aide Arkady Dvorkovich said on Thursday.
Dvorkovich said however that the government would end anti-crisis support measures only after GDP growth was observed for several consecutive quarters.
Russia's top statistics body Rosstat said on Thursday that the country's GDP grew an estimated 13.9% quarter-on-quarter in July-September 2009, but declined 8.9% year-on-year.
In 2008, the Russian economy expanded 5.6%.
Russian economics and finance officials earlier said that the third quarter would see the start of Russia's exit from recession, but added that it was still too early to consider the economic crisis over.
Central Bank First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev has said Russia's 2009 inflation could be below 10.3% compared with the projected figure of 11%.
"Year-on-year inflation in Russia currently stands at 10.3%. By the end of the year it will clearly not go higher, and may even decline," he said.
The government expects to bring inflation in 2010 down to 9-10% and in 2012 to 5-7%. Inflation was 13.3% in 2008.
MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian economy is expected to reach its 2008 pre-crisis level in 2012, Kremlin economic aide Arkady Dvorkovich said on Thursday.
Dvorkovich said however that the government would end anti-crisis support measures only after GDP growth was observed for several consecutive quarters.
Russia's top statistics body Rosstat said on Thursday that the country's GDP grew an estimated 13.9% quarter-on-quarter in July-September 2009, but declined 8.9% year-on-year.
In 2008, the Russian economy expanded 5.6%.
Russian economics and finance officials earlier said that the third quarter would see the start of Russia's exit from recession, but added that it was still too early to consider the economic crisis over.
Central Bank First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev has said Russia's 2009 inflation could be below 10.3% compared with the projected figure of 11%.
"Year-on-year inflation in Russia currently stands at 10.3%. By the end of the year it will clearly not go higher, and may even decline," he said.
The government expects to bring inflation in 2010 down to 9-10% and in 2012 to 5-7%. Inflation was 13.3% in 2008.
South Korea goes into its annual cone of silence
By John M. Glionna
November 12, 2009
Reporting from Seoul
Test proctor Chae Su-beom knows the drill. Twice on this all-important day, for a seemingly interminable half-hour at a time, he is required to stand completely still. No coughing, gum-chewing, breathing heavily or even making eye contact with his exam-taking students.
Female minders face additional prohibitions: No excessive makeup or perfume that might give off a distracting scent. No high heels that could go clicketyclack on the linoleum floors.
Today, across South Korea, 650,000 high school seniors will face the most crucial evaluation of their young lives: the national college entrance examination.
And on this day each year, a nation of 48 million holds its collective breath: Grounding airplanes and shushing car horns, noisy vehicular traffic, even loud conversations.
The tightly supervised, carefully controlled testing process reveals a deep-seated national neurosis over success. In the eyes of many here, the exam results determine not only which university will accept them but will also confer social standing for a lifetime.
The exam is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But the most critical junctures are half-hour listening portions -- Korean in the morning, English in the afternoon -- that demand a nation's total silence. During these two periods, students listen to tape-recorded snippets of fast-paced dialogue or text and answer questions pertaining to them.
For test-minders like Chae, the pressure is immense.
"I am not allowed to move," said the social studies teacher at Seocho high school in Seoul. "For students, this is the biggest day of their lives, so I have to stand perfectly still or I risk distracting them."
Like the SAT in the United States, the Korean college exam comprises both multiple choice and written responses. But unlike its American counterpart, the Korean test, which covers language, math and history, is given only once a year and cannot be retaken.
That can lead to obsessive, and even illegal, behavior: Cheating scandals are frequent and many students are forced by nervous parents to begin preparing years in advance.
Many South Koreans choose to attend college abroad, but success on the entrance test is critical for those who remain home.
"In Korea, obsession on education backgrounds is prevalent. Therefore, the education system is like a race where everyone tries to go to the best college," said Kim Hye-sook, an education professor at Yonsei University in Seoul.
Exam day is a test that the entire nation seems to feel it must pass.
"It's like, 'Get ready, set, go!' Students all start running at the same time and take the test altogether. People invest all kinds of resources to get their children to the highest level of society," said Kim. "But the final test score isn't influenced by whether their parents are rich or where they live."
Efforts to ensure fairness are often mind-boggling.
In Seoul this year, nearly 100 domestic flights at nearby Gimpo Airport will be either delayed or canceled so as not to conflict with the exam at surrounding schools, according to the Korea Airports Assn.
Morning commute hours will also be delayed in most large cities so students won't get tangled in traffic en route to their test sites. Those who do can request a police escort to make it on time.
Even the national stock market opens an hour later, to account for tardy employees.
At each school where the exam is given, a team of police officers patrols the surrounding neighborhood to ensure quiet. That means no roaring motorcycles or unnecessary horn-blowing.
"Everyone in South Korea knows they have an obligation to contribute," said Kim Eunhee, an English teacher who coordinates the proctors at Seocho high school.
"Even if you don't have your own children, you have nieces and nephews who are taking the test. So you must be quiet. If you don't cooperate you'll be seen as an enemy to all. That's the mentality."
For weeks this fall, Kim and other proctors have been busy preparing. The recent national H1N1 flu scare has added to their work and worries.
Each student must not only have pen and test paper, but two masks and two bottles of hand sanitizer. Special rooms are set aside for ill students.
"Everything must be perfect," Kim emphasized.
Despite the precautions, complaints are numerous.
Each year, district offices are flooded with gripes from parents about test-taking conditions. The chairs were not comfortable enough, they declare, or the room was too cold, or too hot.
Most issues, though, involve the minders, whose mere presence seems to distract some exam-takers. Proctors have been criticized for staring at students, standing too close or walking too noisily.
"If a minder coughs during the listening part of the test, the student is entitled to have that part of the question played over again," Kim said.
"They even feel uncomfortable about our breathing," said Kim Hae-ja, a literature teacher and test proctor at Seocho high school. "Because they are nervous, we are nervous too."
Students say the precautions work. Knowing that they can demand quiet from the outside world helps in their concentration, many say.
But the imposed silence isn't enough for some parents.
Many gather at churches and temples -- and even outside some test sites -- to pray for good results. Many offer their children gifts such as sticky rice cakes in the belief that the snacks will help them "stick" to the list of highest grades.
As students arrive for the test, underclassmen play cheerleaders, holding up signs that implore: "Get a high score!" or "Pick the right answer!" or "Show your best capacity!"
All of it makes proctor Chae shake his head.
He knows the regimen drilled into their heads: Do well and the right schools will open their doors for you, the good jobs will come your way, success will be yours.
Do poorly and you will be a lifelong failure.
In the weeks before the exam, he has seen students fall asleep in class after all-night study sessions. And on the eve of the test, Chae watches students leave school early, their faces showing a mixture of fear and concern.
Chae, 47, then goes to the yearly last-minute proctor meeting, where the rules of proper conduct will again be emphasized.
"I really wish this exam would be abolished," he said. "It stirs up too much competition. The entire nation comes to a standstill."
john.glionna@latimes.com
Ju-min Park of The Times' Seoul Bureau contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
November 12, 2009
Reporting from Seoul
Test proctor Chae Su-beom knows the drill. Twice on this all-important day, for a seemingly interminable half-hour at a time, he is required to stand completely still. No coughing, gum-chewing, breathing heavily or even making eye contact with his exam-taking students.
Female minders face additional prohibitions: No excessive makeup or perfume that might give off a distracting scent. No high heels that could go clicketyclack on the linoleum floors.
Today, across South Korea, 650,000 high school seniors will face the most crucial evaluation of their young lives: the national college entrance examination.
And on this day each year, a nation of 48 million holds its collective breath: Grounding airplanes and shushing car horns, noisy vehicular traffic, even loud conversations.
The tightly supervised, carefully controlled testing process reveals a deep-seated national neurosis over success. In the eyes of many here, the exam results determine not only which university will accept them but will also confer social standing for a lifetime.
The exam is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But the most critical junctures are half-hour listening portions -- Korean in the morning, English in the afternoon -- that demand a nation's total silence. During these two periods, students listen to tape-recorded snippets of fast-paced dialogue or text and answer questions pertaining to them.
For test-minders like Chae, the pressure is immense.
"I am not allowed to move," said the social studies teacher at Seocho high school in Seoul. "For students, this is the biggest day of their lives, so I have to stand perfectly still or I risk distracting them."
Like the SAT in the United States, the Korean college exam comprises both multiple choice and written responses. But unlike its American counterpart, the Korean test, which covers language, math and history, is given only once a year and cannot be retaken.
That can lead to obsessive, and even illegal, behavior: Cheating scandals are frequent and many students are forced by nervous parents to begin preparing years in advance.
Many South Koreans choose to attend college abroad, but success on the entrance test is critical for those who remain home.
"In Korea, obsession on education backgrounds is prevalent. Therefore, the education system is like a race where everyone tries to go to the best college," said Kim Hye-sook, an education professor at Yonsei University in Seoul.
Exam day is a test that the entire nation seems to feel it must pass.
"It's like, 'Get ready, set, go!' Students all start running at the same time and take the test altogether. People invest all kinds of resources to get their children to the highest level of society," said Kim. "But the final test score isn't influenced by whether their parents are rich or where they live."
Efforts to ensure fairness are often mind-boggling.
In Seoul this year, nearly 100 domestic flights at nearby Gimpo Airport will be either delayed or canceled so as not to conflict with the exam at surrounding schools, according to the Korea Airports Assn.
Morning commute hours will also be delayed in most large cities so students won't get tangled in traffic en route to their test sites. Those who do can request a police escort to make it on time.
Even the national stock market opens an hour later, to account for tardy employees.
At each school where the exam is given, a team of police officers patrols the surrounding neighborhood to ensure quiet. That means no roaring motorcycles or unnecessary horn-blowing.
"Everyone in South Korea knows they have an obligation to contribute," said Kim Eunhee, an English teacher who coordinates the proctors at Seocho high school.
"Even if you don't have your own children, you have nieces and nephews who are taking the test. So you must be quiet. If you don't cooperate you'll be seen as an enemy to all. That's the mentality."
For weeks this fall, Kim and other proctors have been busy preparing. The recent national H1N1 flu scare has added to their work and worries.
Each student must not only have pen and test paper, but two masks and two bottles of hand sanitizer. Special rooms are set aside for ill students.
"Everything must be perfect," Kim emphasized.
Despite the precautions, complaints are numerous.
Each year, district offices are flooded with gripes from parents about test-taking conditions. The chairs were not comfortable enough, they declare, or the room was too cold, or too hot.
Most issues, though, involve the minders, whose mere presence seems to distract some exam-takers. Proctors have been criticized for staring at students, standing too close or walking too noisily.
"If a minder coughs during the listening part of the test, the student is entitled to have that part of the question played over again," Kim said.
"They even feel uncomfortable about our breathing," said Kim Hae-ja, a literature teacher and test proctor at Seocho high school. "Because they are nervous, we are nervous too."
Students say the precautions work. Knowing that they can demand quiet from the outside world helps in their concentration, many say.
But the imposed silence isn't enough for some parents.
Many gather at churches and temples -- and even outside some test sites -- to pray for good results. Many offer their children gifts such as sticky rice cakes in the belief that the snacks will help them "stick" to the list of highest grades.
As students arrive for the test, underclassmen play cheerleaders, holding up signs that implore: "Get a high score!" or "Pick the right answer!" or "Show your best capacity!"
All of it makes proctor Chae shake his head.
He knows the regimen drilled into their heads: Do well and the right schools will open their doors for you, the good jobs will come your way, success will be yours.
Do poorly and you will be a lifelong failure.
In the weeks before the exam, he has seen students fall asleep in class after all-night study sessions. And on the eve of the test, Chae watches students leave school early, their faces showing a mixture of fear and concern.
Chae, 47, then goes to the yearly last-minute proctor meeting, where the rules of proper conduct will again be emphasized.
"I really wish this exam would be abolished," he said. "It stirs up too much competition. The entire nation comes to a standstill."
john.glionna@latimes.com
Ju-min Park of The Times' Seoul Bureau contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
43 from international Toyota car theft ring arrested in central Japan
November 12, 1:19 AM
Japan Headlines Examiner
Joshua Williams
(Toyota press release)Forty three people, more than have of which were non-Japanese, have been arrested in central Japan in relations to a string of 500 car thefts over a period of about one year.
From July of 2008 to August of 2009, around 500 cars, primarily Toyota Hiace vans, were stole in five prefectures in Central Japan: Aichi, Gifu, Hyogo, Osaka, and Shiga. Investigators said that the total value of the stole vehicles is estimated to have been approximately 570 million yen (about $6.3 million USD), according to 47news.
The crime ring was made up at least 43 members from six countries, including 18 Japanese, 12 Brazilians, and 9 Nigerians. In groups of two or three they would steal the vans by first breaking into the side doors, Seikei news reported. Once take, the vans would be dissembled and smuggled overseas from ports in Kobe and Osaka to countries in the Middle East and Africa were demand for their parts is high.
Toyota Hiaces appear to have been chosen because their engines can endure the hot dry weather of the regions they were being ship to, as well as the relative ease of which they can be taken apart.
Further investigation into other possibly related car thefts is still underway.
Japan Headlines Examiner
Joshua Williams
(Toyota press release)Forty three people, more than have of which were non-Japanese, have been arrested in central Japan in relations to a string of 500 car thefts over a period of about one year.
From July of 2008 to August of 2009, around 500 cars, primarily Toyota Hiace vans, were stole in five prefectures in Central Japan: Aichi, Gifu, Hyogo, Osaka, and Shiga. Investigators said that the total value of the stole vehicles is estimated to have been approximately 570 million yen (about $6.3 million USD), according to 47news.
The crime ring was made up at least 43 members from six countries, including 18 Japanese, 12 Brazilians, and 9 Nigerians. In groups of two or three they would steal the vans by first breaking into the side doors, Seikei news reported. Once take, the vans would be dissembled and smuggled overseas from ports in Kobe and Osaka to countries in the Middle East and Africa were demand for their parts is high.
Toyota Hiaces appear to have been chosen because their engines can endure the hot dry weather of the regions they were being ship to, as well as the relative ease of which they can be taken apart.
Further investigation into other possibly related car thefts is still underway.
China looms as key challenge on Obama's Asia tour
Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:33am EST
By Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama leaves for Asia on Thursday with the U.S. 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 the Chinese and other officials 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 world's two most powerful nations if economic imbalances between them were not corrected.
Those imbalances -- America's excessive consumption and borrowing, facilitated by China's aggressive export strategy and purchases of U.S. debt -- are seen by many as a major cause of the boom and subsequent bust in the global economy.
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 U.S. goods.
With the U.S. 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 appreciation of the yuan, saying it would consider major currencies -- not just the dollar -- in guiding the exchange rate.
U.S. manufacturers have long complained that Beijing artificially holds down the yuan's value to make Chinese exports cheaper and U.S. goods more expensive for Chinese consumers.
But Obama may face some pushback from China and other countries who worry that Washington's drive for economic cooperation with Asia may be too one-sided.
Beijing is upset over U.S. 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.
The Asia tour also comes as Obama juggles many pressing domestic issues, including his drive to pass healthcare reform and climate change legislation, and nears the final stages of a decision on whether to send more U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
SEEKING DEEPER TIES
One of Obama's main messages will be a promise to put a high priority on engagement with the dynamic Asia-Pacific region, an area of the world 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 that the future of our prosperity and our security is very much tied to this part of the world."
Forging an effective working relationship with Beijing will be crucial to any effort to deepen U.S. engagement in Asia.
"I certainly think this administration differs from its predecessors in its apparent recognition of the ascendancy of China and the ascendancy of Asia," said David Rothfkopf, a business consultant and former U.S. official.
"The sign of maturity in the relationship with China will be balancing this sense of ascendancy and a sense of partnership with the recognition that there are real differences and that the partnership will survive the disagreement."
The Obama administration's approach toward China, known as "Strategic Reassurance," builds on a Bush administration effort to ease mistrust between Washington and Beijing and encourage China to become a responsible stakeholder in global affairs.
Obama has been accused by some critics of giving short shrift to human rights issues but he said he would bring up the subject in his meetings in China.
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.
Japan will be another crucial leg of Obama's trip. Some in Tokyo and in Washington worry about a drift in relations between the two staunch allies.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama campaigned on a pledge to set a more independent course from Washington and frictions have arisen over plans to relocate the U.S. military base on Japan's Okinawa island.
Many Japanese also wonder whether historic rival China's growing economic and military clout will affect relations between Washington and Tokyo, which mark the 50th anniversary of their security alliance next year.
Obama plans to make a major speech in Tokyo on Saturday in which he will discuss his view of U.S. engagement in Asia and reaffirm the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.
By Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama leaves for Asia on Thursday with the U.S. 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 the Chinese and other officials 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 world's two most powerful nations if economic imbalances between them were not corrected.
Those imbalances -- America's excessive consumption and borrowing, facilitated by China's aggressive export strategy and purchases of U.S. debt -- are seen by many as a major cause of the boom and subsequent bust in the global economy.
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 U.S. goods.
With the U.S. 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 appreciation of the yuan, saying it would consider major currencies -- not just the dollar -- in guiding the exchange rate.
U.S. manufacturers have long complained that Beijing artificially holds down the yuan's value to make Chinese exports cheaper and U.S. goods more expensive for Chinese consumers.
But Obama may face some pushback from China and other countries who worry that Washington's drive for economic cooperation with Asia may be too one-sided.
Beijing is upset over U.S. 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.
The Asia tour also comes as Obama juggles many pressing domestic issues, including his drive to pass healthcare reform and climate change legislation, and nears the final stages of a decision on whether to send more U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
SEEKING DEEPER TIES
One of Obama's main messages will be a promise to put a high priority on engagement with the dynamic Asia-Pacific region, an area of the world 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 that the future of our prosperity and our security is very much tied to this part of the world."
Forging an effective working relationship with Beijing will be crucial to any effort to deepen U.S. engagement in Asia.
"I certainly think this administration differs from its predecessors in its apparent recognition of the ascendancy of China and the ascendancy of Asia," said David Rothfkopf, a business consultant and former U.S. official.
"The sign of maturity in the relationship with China will be balancing this sense of ascendancy and a sense of partnership with the recognition that there are real differences and that the partnership will survive the disagreement."
The Obama administration's approach toward China, known as "Strategic Reassurance," builds on a Bush administration effort to ease mistrust between Washington and Beijing and encourage China to become a responsible stakeholder in global affairs.
Obama has been accused by some critics of giving short shrift to human rights issues but he said he would bring up the subject in his meetings in China.
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.
Japan will be another crucial leg of Obama's trip. Some in Tokyo and in Washington worry about a drift in relations between the two staunch allies.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama campaigned on a pledge to set a more independent course from Washington and frictions have arisen over plans to relocate the U.S. military base on Japan's Okinawa island.
Many Japanese also wonder whether historic rival China's growing economic and military clout will affect relations between Washington and Tokyo, which mark the 50th anniversary of their security alliance next year.
Obama plans to make a major speech in Tokyo on Saturday in which he will discuss his view of U.S. engagement in Asia and reaffirm the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.
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