WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush has left to nail down trade ties with Asia and grapple with the North Korean nuclear crisis on his first foreign trip since his party's drubbing in legislative elections.

An elderly woman rides past a banner welcoming US President George W. Bush for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in downtown Hanoi. Bush embarks Tuesday on his first overseas trip since his party lost the US Congress, a week-long voyage anchored on an Asia-Pacific summit and a state visit in Vietnam. [AFP]

The US leader will transit in Moscow, where he will hold a brief airport meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, before arriving in the staunch ally city state of Singapore on the first leg of his regional trip.

Special coverage: APEC Viet Nam 2006

He would also visit Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and Vietnam, where he would attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum at the Hanoi.

Bush would discuss with Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other leaders of the 21-member APEC group issues ranging from a prospective Asia-Pacific free trade agreement to terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

"One of the things that the President likes about the APEC summit is when you get 21 leaders of economies together you get a lot of opportunities for discussion," a senior US official said ahead of the eight-day trip.

Aside from meetings with leaders of Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam during his visit to these nations, Bush would hold one-on-one talks with his counterparts from China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and Australia on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

He would also hold a meeting with a group of all seven Southeast Asian leaders attending the APEC summit - from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

1

2