Issues raised by Obama's first tour of Asia as president

High officials from Myanmar are due to attend the ASEAN-U.S. meeting.

What Will Come Out Of Shanghai And Beijing?

A critical leg of the trip comes Nov. 15-18 in China, the largest holder of U.S. foreign debt and its second-largest trading partner, where talks are expected to address — but not resolve — thorny issues including trade, China's currency, climate change and nuclear proliferation.

Washington wants China's support for efforts to rebalance the global economy, seeking to have Beijing shift its economic focus to its own consumers rather than exports, which involves allowing its yuan currency to rise more rapidly and strengthening the social safety net so households won't need to save as much for retirement or health care.

The leaders will talk about climate change, although analysts do not expect much substance from the visit.

Also on the table will be efforts to bring North Korea back into nuclear talks, Chinese cooperation on security, stability and drug trafficking in Afghanistan and Washington's bid to involve Beijing in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

With trade squabbles between the two countries on products from pork and chicken to tires and automobiles, Obama will seek to put the trade relationship back onto an even keel.

Human rights are unlikely to be a major focus despite Obama last month becoming the first U.S. president in 18 years to refuse to see the Dalai Lama in Washington.

Will There Be Progress On Trade With South Korea?

The biggest issues during Obama's Nov. 18-19 visit to Seoul, with which Washington enjoys particularly warm ties, will be North Korea's nuclear arms ambitions and the stalled U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement.

Although most mainstream U.S. business and farm groups support the pact, it faces strong opposition from labor and two of the big three U.S. automakers. The Obama administration says it wants a free trade deal with South Korea, but only if Seoul makes more concessions. Analysts are not optimistic but will be watching for any movement on the issue as Obama visits.

Like the Japanese, South Koreans will also look for indications from Obama that he is paying close attention to the North Korean nuclear issue.

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