Mediaboss Marketing

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Hong Kong (CNN) -- After his party's drubbing in the midterm elections, President Barack Obama will wade into a mass of foreign policy challenges during his trip to Asia this week.

Obama made America's pivot to Asia a centerpiece of his foreign policy architecture. But some commentators say the President, beset by crises elsewhere, has failed to put words into action.

"The Asia pivot remains more rhetoric than reality," said CNN's Fareed Zakaria. "Having promised a larger U.S. military presence in the Philippines, Singapore and Australia, there is little evidence of any of this on the ground."

Obama's first stop on his trip takes him to Beijing, where the greater U.S. focus on Asia is viewed with deep suspicion.

"Two prevailing sentiments -- perceived U.S.-led containment of China and the threat posed to America by China's growing economic and military strength -- have set the two major powers on a confrontational course," said Cheng Li, a senior foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Obama is in Beijing from Monday for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings, but he will also hold direct meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where sensitive issues like cybersecurity will be on the agenda.

"To put this crucial bilateral relationship back on track, President Obama and President Xi must use the summit in Beijing to deepen mutual understanding and publicly challenge these misperceptions," Li said in comments published by Brookings.

Myanmar reforms 'sliding backwards'

After China, Obama will travel to Myanmar, a country where, two years ago, he became the first sitting U.S. President to visit. There was much fanfare then about the introduction of political reforms after decades of oppressive military rule.

Continued here:
Obama kicks off Asia trip