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U.S. President Barack Obama will seek to deepen U.S. ties in the Asia-Pacific region in the face of rising Chinese influence there when he visits Indonesia and Australia next week.

After delaying his trip by three days to focus on his push for a U.S. healthcare overhaul, Obama is now due to leave on Sunday on his first overseas tour of the year. Aides who briefed reporters on Monday said he hopes to advance U.S. trade and security interests with two key partners.

Here are some questions and answers about Obama's March 21-26 trip:

Why Is He Going to the South Pacific?

Obama will be trying to build on a broader trip to Asia last November when he attended a summit in Singapore and made his first presidential visit to China. Critics said that tour yielded few tangible gains.

This time, Obama will be focused on Indonesia and Australia, which his aides number among a group of "middle powers" wielding greater clout internationally on issues ranging from global regulatory reform to climate change.

They are also seen as counterweights to an increasingly assertive China, Washington's biggest economic rival, at a time when Sino-U.S. tensions are high over currency, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and Obama's meeting last month with the exiled Dalai Lama.

Aides framed the trip to the economically dynamic region as crucial to Obama's vow to double U.S. exports in five years.

Why Is He Starting Out in Guam?

Besides being a good refueling point on the way to Jakarta, Guam -- a major hub of U.S. military power in the Pacific -- will serve as a useful place to underline Washington's security commitment in the region.

Obama will address local residents and U.S. military personnel in his stop in the tiny U.S. territory. But China, with its growing military might, and Japan, locked in a dispute with the Obama administration over the future of a huge U.S. military base on Okinawa, will surely be listening as well.

What's on the Agenda in Indonesia?

Obama's visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation aims to capitalize on the president's close ties to the country where he spent four years as a boy.

Obama, who styles himself as "America's first Pacific president," is due to sign a comprehensive partnership with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that will seek to improve cooperation in a number of areas, including education, security, healthcare, energy and trade.Analysts say trade and investment ties between the United States and Indonesia have lagged improvements in other aspects of the relationship. In his talks with Yudhoyono, Obama will discuss removing a number of high tariffs and other barriers that impede U.S. exports.

Washington and Jakarta are already close partners in the counter-terrorism fight and the two capitals have been holding detailed talks on normalizing military relations that would allow U.S. training of Indonesian special forces.

During the two-day visit, Obama will deliver an address that will highlight U.S.-Indonesia ties and look at what his administration has achieved since he promised Muslims a "new beginning" in a landmark speech in Cairo last June.

He will also meet business leaders in Jakarta and then visit the island of Bali, a popular holiday destination, where he will host an event to discuss issues such as freedom of information and human rights.

What Issues Will Be Tackled in Australia?

Though the Australia leg of Obama's trip has been trimmed, with Sydney dropped from the itinerary, Obama will seek to show a linchpin U.S. ally it is not being shortchanged.

Talks in Canberra between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Obama -- who will also address parliament -- will include:

* Trade: The United States runs a surplus with Australia. Aides specifically mentioned that Obama wants to be sure there are no Australian barriers to U.S. beef imports.

* Climate change: Obama is struggling to meet a vow of U.S. global leadership on the issue, and Rudd is seen as an ally.

* China: Canberra does a booming business with Beijing.

* Afghanistan: Australia maintains the largest non-NATO force fighting there.

How Does China Figure into the Trip?

"It's impossible to go to Asia and for the subject of China not to arise," said Jeff Bader, Obama's adviser on China.

Obama's trip is seen by some Asia experts as being aimed at countering China's rising influence in the region. Playing in Obama's favor is a growing concern in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries that they are losing out in a free trade agreement signed with China last year.




From Reuters