海角大神

President Obama鈥檚 week-long trip to Asia offers him the opportunity to reinvigorate and reorient his presidency鈥檚 rebalancing of American interests to the Asia-Pacific 鈥� at a time when many in the region were wondering if the vaunted 鈥淎sia pivot鈥� was largely rhetoric but little action.

Mr. Obama will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where he heads Monday to attend an APEC summit of Asia-Pacific leaders. With Mr. Xi and at subsequent stops in Myanmar and Australia, the president will highlight human rights issues and US concerns about signs of weakening respect for the rule of law, from the economic arena to provocative actions challenging the region鈥檚 maritime boundaries.

But mostly Obama will make this trip about America鈥檚 economic stakes in the region. In addition to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the president will attend an East Asia Summit and US-ASEAN summit in Myanmar, and a G20 leaders meeting in Brisbane, Australia.聽

In particular, he鈥檚 expected to underscore the importance for the US of establishing a vast Asia-Pacific trade and investment community 鈥� the first phase of which would be the 12-nation Trans-Pacific partnership (TPP) that has been bogged down in tough negotiations.

The TPP is 鈥渁 top priority for the United States鈥� and an 鈥渋ntegral part of our Asia Pacific rebalance strategy,鈥� said National Security Adviser Susan Rice, briefing the press Friday on Obama鈥檚 trip.

The trip will also allow a president who was whipsawed by the midterm elections to escape the reduced horizons he faces on the domestic political scene.

What the post-drubbing Asian foray offers, some regional analysts says, is an opportunity to get past the musings over lame-duck status at home and demonstrate to key US allies and interlocutors 鈥� including China 鈥� that the US remains focused on Asia.

鈥淭he rebalance or the pivot to Asia鈥�has very high support鈥� in Asia, but there are 鈥渞eal questions about implementation,鈥� says Michael Green, a former Bush administration Asia official who is now senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.

The midterm election results, he adds, 鈥渕ay reinforce those concerns, from New Zealand to China, whether the administration has the wherewithal to actually follow through on the pivot or rebalance as advertised.鈥�

China actually may have taken some solace in Washington鈥檚 preoccupation over recent months with other international crises, others say 鈥� but will be attentive now to what Obama鈥檚 visit augurs for US relations with Asia over the rest of his term.

鈥淚 do think the Chinese have concluded that Obama鈥檚 attention to ISIS, to Ukraine, and to some extent to Ebola, is taking him away from the rebalance to Asia,鈥� says Douglas Paal, Asia Program director at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. 鈥淭he Chinese are always relieved,鈥� he adds, 鈥渨hen we鈥檙e preoccupied somewhere else.鈥�

Other powers in the region that do not want to see a waning of US power, particularly in the era of a rising China, are heartened by Obama鈥檚 week-long trip to Asia and what they believe it says about both Obama and the US in the region.

鈥淚 know these arguments that the US is distracted from its interests in Asia鈥� and that American power is receding, 鈥渂ut we have strong confidence that the US will keep up the effort on the pivot to Asia,鈥� says Kenichiro Sasae, Japan鈥檚 ambassador to the US.

As an unrivaled global power the US has to take an interest in all global challenges and crises, 鈥渂ut the trend to greater US involvement in Asia is not a matter of two or three years,鈥� Ambassador Sasae says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an effort that goes beyond a military focus,鈥� he adds, to include 鈥渢he full spectrum of American soft power鈥� ranging from economic cooperation to advocacy for human rights and rule of law advances, he says. 聽聽

In particular, Obama has an opportunity to demonstrate to Xi that the US is not distracted and remains fully engaged in Asia, Mr. Paal says. But he adds that Obama must do that in a way that is firm and dispels notions of waning presidential power but which does not simply feed China鈥檚 suspicion that Obama鈥檚 鈥渞ebalance鈥� is really about containing China.

Paal, who was in Beijing last week, says Chinese officials 鈥渨ill watch this summit very closely鈥� for clues to measuring up Obama鈥檚 approach with China over the coming two years. 鈥淚f he comes in tough鈥� and simply confronts Xi with US objections to Chinese actions, 鈥渋t will put a period on relations for this presidency,鈥� he says.

On the other hand, he says the 鈥減ost-election atmosphere鈥� can actually be a boon to Obama, for example on the issue of trade expansion in Asia, where the president arguably can count on stronger Republican than Democratic support.

The backdrop of a more Republican Congress 鈥渉elps Obama be able to talk to the Chinese鈥� on issues like trade, Paal says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an empowerment.鈥�

Perhaps the biggest test for Obama during a week-long trip will be setting the region straight on just what the US rebalance to Asia means 鈥� and the goals he intends to reach in the coming two years.

Mr. Green at CSIS acknowledges it鈥檚 been a 鈥渢ough balancing act鈥� because much of what the US has done has caused such differing reactions. US attention to other global crises leads to the impression among the Chinese and others 鈥渢hat the US has lost interest in Asia,鈥� he says. But if Obama makes a point of underscoring US security commitments in Asia, he adds, the Chinese will react by 鈥渃alling it containment.鈥�

Noting that Obama plans to give what the White House calls a 鈥渕ajor speech鈥� in Brisbane on the US commitment to Asia, Green says the whole region will be attuned to how the president frames 鈥� and perhaps resets 鈥� his pivot to Asia.