Caught up in the Asia Pacific [By Yang Yongliang/China.org.cn]

Six months after a government shutdown forced him to scrap an Asia visit, U.S. President Barack Obama comes to the dynamic continent to consolidate Washington's engagement with the Asia-Pacific region.

The four-nation tour unfolds on the background of the Obama administration's so-called "rebalancing to Asia" policy, which features a U.S. commitment to shifting priorities and resources toward the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Washington has good reason to pivot. Asia has grown into the powerhouse of the world economy; it is home to important U.S. allies and brimful of significant U.S. interests. Any country disregarding or even discounting the role of Asia would do so to its own peril.

But that is not all there is to it. Beneath the pragmatic exterior lies the China factor. Despite Washington's repeated denial, its rebalancing strategy smacks of a carefully calculated scheme to cage the rapidly developing Asian giant by rallying U.S. allies and reinforcing U.S. presence.

While the outer layer of Washington's logic indicates an adaptable and far-sighted global colossus, the inner layer betrays a sclerotic and myopic superpower trapped by recent history in a confrontational mindset and blinded by outmoded realism to China's peaceful orientation.

Such a double character is dangerous and unsustainable. With the Asian landscape having altered dramatically, the United States needs to shake off its historical and philosophical shackles and update its Asia policy in line with the new realities, both for its own benefit and for that of the region and globe at large.

The first and foremost point in the overdue overhaul is that Washington should respect China's core interests and work genuinely with Beijing to build mutual trust and improve bilateral relations.

Interaction between the world's top two economies is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. Although Obama skirts China in his trip, China will not skirt him in his meetings with Japanese, South Korean, Malaysian and Philippine hosts.