President Barack Obama will make his first trip to Asia this month. He will attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering on Nov. 14-15 in Singapore. He will also visit other countries in the region while on the trip.

Excerpts from the October 7 briefing of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs follow: “The President, as you know, will be traveling to Asia next month to strengthen our cooperation with this vital part of the world on a range of issues of mutual interest. The President will begin his trip in Tokyo, Japan, on November 12th and 13th. We leave here on the 11th.

“The President’s visit will provide an opportunity to deepen coordination with this key ally on a range of economic, security and other issues. The President will meet for a second time with the Japanese Prime Minister.

“The President will travel from Japan to Singapore for the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation -- APEC -- meeting from November 13th to 15th. APEC is an important forum that brings together the economies of the Pacific Rim, and Singapore is an important partner on a range of regional and global issues. He will meet with leaders from the APEC member economies and business leaders from the Asian Pacific region. We’ll also take the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with leaders from Singapore and other partners. The President will hold his first-ever meeting between a U.S. President and leaders of the 10 Southeast Asian nations that make up the ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“The President will then travel to China, where he will visit Beijing and Shanghai from November 15th through the 18th. The President will hold his third bilateral meeting with President Hu Jintao to discuss ways to address challenges and expand cooperation on key bilateral regional and global issues, including security, nonproliferation, energy and climate change.

“Finally, the President will visit Seoul, South Korea on November 18th through the 19th. This visit will provide an opportunity to hold his third bilateral meeting with President Lee and consult on North Korea to coordinate on a range of regional and global issues and to further strengthen the U.S.-Korean alliance. The President also looks forward to meeting with U.S. servicemen and women stationed in Korea.

“Lastly, let me raise the issue of Indonesia. President Obama met with the Indonesian President briefly at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh and discussed the President’s intention to visit Indonesia. They agreed on the importance of having a visit that would showcase the importance of a growing U.S.-Indonesian bilateral relations. After reviewing the possibilities they agreed the best time for such a visit would be sometime next year at a date to be mutually determined by each side.”