Posted on Nov 11th

As he begins a nine-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region on Friday, President Obama is aiming to reassure jittery U.S. allies and emerging nations that they have another avenue to prosperity, at a time when an increasingly aggressive China is extending its own sphere of influence.

At each stop — a pair of regional summits in Hono­lulu and Bali, Indonesia, sandwiched around a visit to Australia to highlight a military alliance — Obama will send a clear signal that the United States is a “Pacific power,” eager to help build economic success and security in the fast-developing region.

In doing so, the president will make clear the Chinese must “follow the rules of the road,” as one administration official put it this week.

High on the list of U.S. priorities is getting commitments from China to enact more flexible currency rate standards to help balance trade; respect intellectual property rights; and adopt a less aggressive military posture in the disputed South China Sea.

For their part, the Chinese are concerned about a budding trade pact between the United States and eight other nations, and they will be closely monitoring Obama’s visit next week to an Australian military base.

To read the whole article at  The Washington Post