WASHINGTON – President Bush (search) will travel to Asia next month with stops in Japan, China, Mongolia and South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
The White House noted that Bush will be the first sitting U.S. president ever to visit Mongolia. White House press secretary Scott McClellan (search) said the president was going at the invitation of President Nambariin Enkhbayar.
Bush plans to begin the trip in Kyoto, Japan, on Nov. 15-16, meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Bush then is to travel to South Korea, where he will meeting with President Roh Moo-Hyun on Nov. 17 and then attend the APEC summit on the country's southern Jeju Island Nov. 18-19. McClellan said Bush will discuss free trade, economic growth and security cooperation.
Bush is scheduled to visit Beijing on Nov. 19. He then plans to travel to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he'll meet with Enkhbayar on Nov. 21.
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