竞选连任后，奥巴马的首次国外访问选择了缅甸、泰国和柬埔寨 — — 中国不可能喜欢这样的选择，因为上述三国均为东盟成员，而缅甸直到开始民主过渡前一直是中国的亲密盟友。
Following his re-election, Obama’s first foreign visit was to Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia – a choice that cannot have pleased China, as all three are ASEAN members, while Myanmar was, until it began its democratic transition, a close Chinese ally.