U.S. President George Bush has left Washington on a three-nation trip to Asia that will include his attendance at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The president will stop first in the far northwestern U.S. state of Alaska, where he will speak later today (Monday) to U.S. troops before departing for Asia. Mr. Bush has scheduled brief stops in South Korea and Thailand ahead of his visit to China.
The White House says Mr. Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will meet Tuesday for talks on trade and efforts to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program. In Thailand, aides say Mr. Bush will deliver an address that will be an assessment of U.S. policy in Asia during his time in office.