U.S. President Barack Obama is set to make what is expected to be his 11th and final trip to Asia next month, a region at the center of his administration's foreign policy, to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders, the White House said on Thursday.
During the eight-day trip, scheduled from September 2-9, Obama will attend the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China and hold a private meeting with Xi, the White House said in the statement.
He will also travel to Laos to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and East Asia summit, with China's increasingly aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea expected to be a major talking point.
Obama, who is the first U.S. president to visit Laos, will have a bilateral meeting with Laotian president Bounnhang Vorachith and attend a town hall with youth leaders, according to Reuters.
The trip will also be an opportunity for Obama to promote the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, a key part of his Asia strategy that will enable U.S. businesses and workers to further expand into some of the world's fastest growing markets.
The president has been urging the U.S. Congress to pass the TPP before he leaves office in January next year but is facing an uphill battle on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail. Both Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump have both expressed their opposition to the expansive deal.
Obama has argued that the TPP is crucial for setting the standard for global trade rules ahead of Beijing.
China is not a member of the TPP, but trade with the world's biggest economy has been a key issue during the presidential campaign.
Trump has accused Beijing as a rule-breaker that has led to a growing trade deficit with the U.S. and cost countless Americans their jobs, while Clinton has vowed to "stand up to China and anyone" who will try to take advantage of American workers and companies.