[h=3]By LAURA MECKLER[/h]BANGKOK—President Barack Obama landed in Thailand's capital for a whirlwind Asia trip that begins with this longtime ally and includes a high-profile visit to Myanmar, the first by a sitting U.S. president.
His trip ends in Cambodia, host of the East Asia Summit, a forum the U.S. is using to try to exert greater influence in the region.
Mr. Obama will be on the ground in Asia for less than three days, sandwiching the trip between congressional negotiations over the budget on Friday and the traditional pre-Thanksgiving pardoning of the national turkey on Wednesday.
European Pressphoto AgencyThai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and U.S. President Barack Obama reviewing a guard of honor in Bangkok Sunday.
But the White House sees the trip as critical to Mr. Obama's effort to pivot U.S. attention from the Middle East toward Asia, where the president is working to beef up U.S. military, economic and political influence—in part to serve as a counterweight to China.
But even as he traveled to Asia Mr. Obama was dealing with yet another Middle-East crisis, as violence continued between Israel and Hamas.
In Thailand, Mr. Obama was greeted by a military guard of honor and a collection of Thai officials, after a half dozen Thai men scrambled to put in place a long red carpet leading from the steps out of Air Force One to his motorcade. He then toured an iconic religious site, the Wat Pho Royal Monastery, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Mr. Obama will also visit King Bhumibol Adulyadej and meet with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
White House officials emphasized the long-standing U.S. relationship with Thailand, sending a message to the rest of the region: There is value in being on the U.S. team.
"Allies are the cornerstone of our rebalancing effort in Asia," Ben Rhodes, a White House deputy national security adviser, said en route to Asia.
On Monday, Mr. Obama travels to Myanmar, which for the past 18 months has undergone a transformation from brutal military rule—a process whose continuation this visit is meant to encourage. Mr. Obama may announce a new package of U.S. aid to the country.
"We see great potential in that relationship, both in terms of what the U.S. can do to advance a democratic transition in Burma, but also understanding that Burma is an important country located in an important region, and can become a partner to the United States in ways that will have broader benefits," Mr. Rhodes said. The U.S. refers to the country as "Burma" because it never recognized the military dictatorship that renamed it. Ahead of the trip, U.S. officials said they didn't plan to change that approach.
Some human-rights groups say the government of Thein Sein should have to do more to prove itself before being granted a presidential visit. They cite the ethnic violence raging against minority Muslims, the continued imprisonment of political opponents and a constitution that reserves 25% of parliamentary seats for members of the military.
"The Burma visit does a lot of things: It makes history, heralds reform, counters China. But one thing it doesn't do is strategically promote human rights," said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch. "And this is why it's so important that the president at least secure some real concessions, like political-prisoner releases. If not even that much can be achieved, the trip will be an utter loss."
U.S. officials respond that steps taken over the past year—such as sending Secretary of State Clinton to the country, appointing the first U.S. ambassador in 22 years and loosening economic sanctions—have been met with further reforms. They expect the same from the Obama trip, which will include a speech to the nation and a visit with democracy activist and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at her home, where she was under house arrest for 15 years.
The White House says Mr. Obama's message will be to call for additional work. "This is a moment when we believe the Burmese leaders have put their feet on the right path, and that it's critical to us that we not miss a moment to influence them to keep them going. We want to make progress irreversible," said Danny Russel, senior director for Asia at the National Security Council.
Myanmar's moves to improve relations with the U.S. and other nations are widely seen as a challenge to China's traditionally strong ties to that country. But ahead of the visit, a senior China foreign official said China didn't see Mr. Obama's trip as a threat.
"We believe the U.S. is not here to threaten China, and China has no intention to pose a threat to the U.S.," Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying said Saturday.
Mr. Obama's trip ends in Cambodia, another country with a troubled human-rights record. The White House said Mr. Obama wouldn't visit there, or meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen, were Cambodia not the host of the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the East Asia Summit.
One undercurrent will be efforts by smaller countries in the region, backed by the U.S., to use the multilateral forum to establish a code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea. More than half of the world's total trade crosses those waters, which are broadly claimed by China and in part by nations including Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The U.S said it is neutral on the claims but wants to ensure the shipping lanes remain open. China has said the dispute should be resolved by bilateral talks with smaller neighbors; the U.S. supports resolving the matter regionally. Hopes for progress on the matter this week are somewhat slim, particularly that given China is going through a leadership transition. Beijing may feel the need to demonstrate continuity with its previous position on the matter.
Carlos Tejada and Enda Curran contributed to this article.
His trip ends in Cambodia, host of the East Asia Summit, a forum the U.S. is using to try to exert greater influence in the region.
Mr. Obama will be on the ground in Asia for less than three days, sandwiching the trip between congressional negotiations over the budget on Friday and the traditional pre-Thanksgiving pardoning of the national turkey on Wednesday.
European Pressphoto AgencyThai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and U.S. President Barack Obama reviewing a guard of honor in Bangkok Sunday.
But the White House sees the trip as critical to Mr. Obama's effort to pivot U.S. attention from the Middle East toward Asia, where the president is working to beef up U.S. military, economic and political influence—in part to serve as a counterweight to China.
But even as he traveled to Asia Mr. Obama was dealing with yet another Middle-East crisis, as violence continued between Israel and Hamas.
In Thailand, Mr. Obama was greeted by a military guard of honor and a collection of Thai officials, after a half dozen Thai men scrambled to put in place a long red carpet leading from the steps out of Air Force One to his motorcade. He then toured an iconic religious site, the Wat Pho Royal Monastery, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Mr. Obama will also visit King Bhumibol Adulyadej and meet with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
White House officials emphasized the long-standing U.S. relationship with Thailand, sending a message to the rest of the region: There is value in being on the U.S. team.
"Allies are the cornerstone of our rebalancing effort in Asia," Ben Rhodes, a White House deputy national security adviser, said en route to Asia.
On Monday, Mr. Obama travels to Myanmar, which for the past 18 months has undergone a transformation from brutal military rule—a process whose continuation this visit is meant to encourage. Mr. Obama may announce a new package of U.S. aid to the country.
"We see great potential in that relationship, both in terms of what the U.S. can do to advance a democratic transition in Burma, but also understanding that Burma is an important country located in an important region, and can become a partner to the United States in ways that will have broader benefits," Mr. Rhodes said. The U.S. refers to the country as "Burma" because it never recognized the military dictatorship that renamed it. Ahead of the trip, U.S. officials said they didn't plan to change that approach.
Some human-rights groups say the government of Thein Sein should have to do more to prove itself before being granted a presidential visit. They cite the ethnic violence raging against minority Muslims, the continued imprisonment of political opponents and a constitution that reserves 25% of parliamentary seats for members of the military.
"The Burma visit does a lot of things: It makes history, heralds reform, counters China. But one thing it doesn't do is strategically promote human rights," said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch. "And this is why it's so important that the president at least secure some real concessions, like political-prisoner releases. If not even that much can be achieved, the trip will be an utter loss."
U.S. officials respond that steps taken over the past year—such as sending Secretary of State Clinton to the country, appointing the first U.S. ambassador in 22 years and loosening economic sanctions—have been met with further reforms. They expect the same from the Obama trip, which will include a speech to the nation and a visit with democracy activist and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at her home, where she was under house arrest for 15 years.
The White House says Mr. Obama's message will be to call for additional work. "This is a moment when we believe the Burmese leaders have put their feet on the right path, and that it's critical to us that we not miss a moment to influence them to keep them going. We want to make progress irreversible," said Danny Russel, senior director for Asia at the National Security Council.
Myanmar's moves to improve relations with the U.S. and other nations are widely seen as a challenge to China's traditionally strong ties to that country. But ahead of the visit, a senior China foreign official said China didn't see Mr. Obama's trip as a threat.
"We believe the U.S. is not here to threaten China, and China has no intention to pose a threat to the U.S.," Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying said Saturday.
Mr. Obama's trip ends in Cambodia, another country with a troubled human-rights record. The White House said Mr. Obama wouldn't visit there, or meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen, were Cambodia not the host of the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the East Asia Summit.
One undercurrent will be efforts by smaller countries in the region, backed by the U.S., to use the multilateral forum to establish a code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea. More than half of the world's total trade crosses those waters, which are broadly claimed by China and in part by nations including Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The U.S said it is neutral on the claims but wants to ensure the shipping lanes remain open. China has said the dispute should be resolved by bilateral talks with smaller neighbors; the U.S. supports resolving the matter regionally. Hopes for progress on the matter this week are somewhat slim, particularly that given China is going through a leadership transition. Beijing may feel the need to demonstrate continuity with its previous position on the matter.
Carlos Tejada and Enda Curran contributed to this article.