Trip to Asia will test Bush's global stature

WASHINGTON — A politically wounded President Bush heads to Asia on today to reassert American leadership in a region grappling with the rise of China and the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea.

Foreign policy issues will top the agenda during Bush's swing through Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, but domestic politics have added a new dimension to the trip. His return to the world stage comes a week after voters handed control of Congress to Democrats in an election that was widely viewed as a rebuke to Bush.

Former White House adviser Mike Green said Asian leaders will be looking for signs of weakness in the American president.

"The Asian leaders will be looking at President Bush's body language," said Green, now an Asia specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "They know he has two years left, but they're going to be all looking to see how he plays the game after this political setback."

Perceptions about Bush's clout could come into play as he tries to bolster a somewhat shaky international coalition that's working to stifle North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Russia, China, South Korea and Japan share Bush's desire to keep nuclear weapons out of the Korean peninsula, but they don't always agree with his tactics.

Bush will get a chance to shore up support for his approach during a 21-nation summit in Vietnam this weekend.

A show of solidarity against North Korea at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, commonly known as APEC, could help persuade the reclusive regime in Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions in exchange for economic benefits.

North Korea has agreed to resume six-way talks over its nuclear program with its Asian neighbors and the United States, but no date has been set. North Korea's Oct. 9 test of a nuclear device underscored the futility of previous negotiations.

Bush will meet briefly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key player in the standoff with North Korea, on his way to Asia. Bush and his wife, Laura, will spend about 45 minutes with Putin and his wife, Ludmila, during a refueling stop in Moscow.

The president's first Asia stop is Singapore, an international trading center with strong ties to the United States.

He'll arrive in Vietnam on Friday facing a schedule packed with meetings and social events. In addition to attending APEC forums and dinners, Bush will hold a series of one-on-one meetings in Hanoi with leaders from Australia, Vietnam, South Korea, China and Japan. He'll also get together again with Putin.

China's fast economic growth and its place as the world's fourth-largest economy give it increasing importance in the Asia-Pacific region.