Washington: President Barack Obama flies to Asia after midnight on Sunday for an eight-day tour of China, Burma and Australia, a trip that will focus on Washington's often-tense relations with China.
The China stop will be dominated by Obama's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the White House said it expects "candid and in-depth conversations."
The relationship between the two superpowers, which US Secretary of State John Kerry has called the "most consequential" in the world today, has been marred by tensions over the South China Sea, cyberspying and human rights issues.
But Suu Kyi warned this week that the pace of change was slowing, and that the US had been "over-optimistic about the reform process" at times.
"We will underscore the United States' commitment to the protection of human rights, tolerance and pluralism, as well as sustaining and deepening the democratic transition," National Security Advisor Susan Rice said.
No formal meetings have been scheduled, but neither side has ruled out the possibility of informal discussions. The last time the two leaders met face to face was in early June in France.
The trip follows a difficult week for Obama, after his party suffered a severe blow in midterm elections that saw Republicans take control of the Senate.
The US president will also have to convince Asian partners that he intends to rebalance diplomatic ties in the region -- a pillar of of his foreign policy -- amid ongoing crises in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine.
The China stop will be dominated by Obama's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the White House said it expects "candid and in-depth conversations."
The relationship between the two superpowers, which US Secretary of State John Kerry has called the "most consequential" in the world today, has been marred by tensions over the South China Sea, cyberspying and human rights issues.
But Suu Kyi warned this week that the pace of change was slowing, and that the US had been "over-optimistic about the reform process" at times.
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"We will underscore the United States' commitment to the protection of human rights, tolerance and pluralism, as well as sustaining and deepening the democratic transition," National Security Advisor Susan Rice said.
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No formal meetings have been scheduled, but neither side has ruled out the possibility of informal discussions. The last time the two leaders met face to face was in early June in France.
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The trip follows a difficult week for Obama, after his party suffered a severe blow in midterm elections that saw Republicans take control of the Senate.
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The US president will also have to convince Asian partners that he intends to rebalance diplomatic ties in the region -- a pillar of of his foreign policy -- amid ongoing crises in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine.
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