ASEAN relations focused on cooperation

Cai Penghong, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said the US should be neutral and stop meddling in island disputes in the South China Sea.

"Washington has declared from time to time it would maintain a neutral position on the sovereignty of the South China Sea, but what it has actually done betrayed what it said," Cai said.

Obama is expected to attend a series of summits during the trip, including the APEC Summit in Bali, Indonesia and the US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit in Brunei. The White House said he will discuss cooperation with leaders of Asia-Pacific countries in areas of energy, maritime security, investment and trade.

Zhang said the frequent presence of officials from the Obama administration in Southeast Asia has demonstrated Washington's intention to further interact with regional stakeholders and to increase investment in the area.

"The logic behind it is simply to offset China's growing influence," he said.

"To some extent, it is true that China and the US have been competing for their own spheres of influence among ASEAN states, but the development of ASEAN in general also requires cooperation between the two countries, not a zero-sum power game," he added.

AFP contributed to this story.

puzhendong@chinadaily.com.cn