What's the general opinion here on his diplomatic efficacy in Asia?

What's the general opinion here on his diplomatic efficacy in Asia?

I'm disgusted that the President of the United States would bow to any monarch, regardless of rules of ettiquette.

I don't have a problem with him trying to show respect. It's not a sign of submission. Or if it is preceived as one, such a perception is no more substantial than the arbitrary cultural values that place it as a sign of respect.

This. /shrug

I understand you have a proud tradition of flipping the bird at monarchies. So what...you're not alone in this world, it's not a bad thing to act like a member of a community rather than the bully on the playground. You're a country on the decline, your days as a superpower are numbered. The world will not need the USA, the USA will need the world. Best to learn to get along with people and follow their etiquette as a sign of respect when visiting them. Apart from the diplomatic value, it shows you have a shred of manners and class, which is something the USA has a reputation around the world for not having. That reputation may not be deserved, but the boorish, uncultured American is certainly a stereotype that many believe in.

BEIJING (AP) - State media heralded President Barack Obama's maiden trip to China as a triumph, but ordinary Chinese were largely shielded by their government from his most critical remarks and activists were disappointed by the measured tone of those they did hear.

One blogger even pined for the tough line taken by former President George W. Bush.

"Like a star rushing from one show to another, Obama has come and gone, without stirring the slightest ripples," blogger Zhao Dezhu wrote in an online post.

Zhao, who writes a popular blog and twitters under the name Hecaitou, said the visit made him miss Bush who "couldn't speak with flowery language and even made grammatical mistakes but spoke as plainly as an American farmer."

Obama, by contrast, speaks "with sweet but empty words."
*Snip*