In a meeting this summer, Chinese officials asked American diplomats detailed questions about how the health-care bill will affect the budget deficit. China expects to finance whatever is passed, so naturally the country is interested in whether the U.S. can pay it back. For months, White House officials have been working to ensure that President Obama’s visit conveys a conciliatory message, and though officials say privately they’re annoyed by Beijing’s currency policy, now is not the time to antagonize China.
Click Image Below to View Our Gallery of Obama’s Trip to Asia
Obama’s visit to the country comes after he joined 20 other world leaders (wearing colorful matching shirts) in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on Saturday, and he spent the day in meet-and-greets with regional leaders. President Obama also met Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev to discuss Washington’s Iran policy and the arms-control treaty that will expire next month. During his speech in Tokyo, the President said that “in an interconnected world, power does not need to be a zero-sum game, and nations need not fear the success of another.”