●Eyeing China, Obama drives eastward_自考专本|专升本|高升专|高升本|在职研究生-学历教育网

By Li Hongmei

As the U.S. looks toward Asia, it is mindful of China. President Obama, who was born in Hawaii and calls himself "America's first Pacific president", has overseen a shift in focus away from the Middle East to the Asia Pacific.

At the just wrapped-up APEC Summit he hosted in Hawaii, Obama tried to push his framework agreement for a smaller trade group, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) under the leadership of the U.S., which is expected to act as a replacement for APEC. This somewhat aroused concerns of China which believes the TPP is supposed to be complementary to APEC, rather than its replacement.

“Pacific president” Obama this weekend will kick start his Asian trip to Australia, and then Indonesia where he will attend the 19th AEEAN Summit. His visit is designed to re-assert Washington’s Pacific priorities, which is said to be welcome by his allies, as “China’s increasingly assertive posture has unnerved several neighbors.”

In Australia,Obama is expected to announce a major boost in military ties, giving U.S. forces permanent access to Australian bases in northern Australia, close to Indonesia. That would make it much easier for them to reach key shipping lanes in the South China Sea.

President Obama's trip comes at a crucial time back home, as he continues his struggle to jolt the U.S. economy out of recession. By touring Asia,Obama will also be sending a message to Americans back home: He has got to make the case that if the embattled economy is to move out of nightmareAsia is part of the answer.

Also, complex economic and security relationships with China, including regionalrivalries over the South China Sea are a backdrop toObama's travels.

Noteworthily, the plan to station marines at an existing base outside the northern Australian city of Darwin, on the doorstep of South East Asia, would allow the U.S. to disperse its forces more widely in the region -- in particular, away from Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam, which are said to be “within range of the new generation of Chinese ballistic missiles.”

The last time the remote Australian city of Darwin played a significant role in American military planning was during the early days of World War II. So it is with considerable symbolism that Washington intends to use Darwin as a new center of operations in Asia as it seeks to reassert itself in the region and grapple with China’s rise.

The United States is taking steps, at least bold in rhetoric, to materialize its “Comeback to Asia” strategy, and to convince its Asian allies that it intends to remain a crucial military and economic power in the region as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan draw to a close.

Still, the U.S. plan to expand its military presence in Australia has raised concerns among some analysts that it could complicate the already volatile situation, escalate regional tensions and damage relations with China.

Hugh White, a former senior Australian defense official, said a dramatic expansion of U.S. troops in the country was "a very significant and potentially very risky move for Australia".

Technically, Obama’s aggressive step venturing into Asia is not merely a premature but a risky move, even if he insists this would do some good to his 2012 campaign. But to his Asian allies, it is more of a hindrance than a help.