On August 14, 2009, Webb visited Myanmar (Burma), seeing its junta's leader, Gen. Than Shwe, and also the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest.
During Webb's visit with Than Shwe, Webb negotiated the release and deportation of an imprisoned American, John Yettaw.
Upon his return to the U.S., Webb wrote an editorial titled "We Can't Afford to Ignore Myanmar" for The New York Times, arguing for the easing of sanctions on the country.
Webb stated that sanctions have isolated the country, thereby encouraging the ruling regime to turn to China and allowing "China to dramatically increase its economic and political influence in Myanmar, furthering a dangerous strategic imbalance in the region."
Webb also noted that, unlike Myanmar, China does not allow opposition parties.
Webb has stated that he started the pivot to Asia during the Bush Administration.

Webb visited Vietnam as part of a two-week trip to five Southeast Asian countries.
Webb, who can speak Vietnamese, has had a continuous involvement in Asian and Pacific affairs that long predates his time in the Senate.
In addition to his more recent visits as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Webb has worked and traveled throughout this vast region, from Micronesia to Burma, for nearly four decades, as a Marine Corps officer, a defense planner, a journalist, a novelist, a Department of Defense executive, and as a business consultant.
He worked in the 1990s as a consultant for companies attempting to do business in Vietnam.
On August 14, 2009, Webb visited Myanmar (Burma), seeing its junta's leader, Gen. Than Shwe, and also the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest. During Webb's visit with Than Shwe, Webb negotiated the release and deportation of an imprisoned American, John Yettaw. Upon his return to the U.S., Webb wrote an editorial titled "We Can't Afford to Ignore Myanmar" for The New York Times, arguing for the easing of sanctions on the country. Webb stated that sanctions have isolated the country, thereby encouraging the ruling regime to turn to China and allowing "China to dramatically increase its economic and political influence in Myanmar, furthering a dangerous strategic imbalance in the region." Webb also noted that, unlike Myanmar, China does not allow opposition parties. Webb has stated that he started the pivot to Asia during the Bush Administration.
Webb visited Vietnam as part of a two-week trip to five Southeast Asian countries. Webb, who can speak Vietnamese, has had a continuous involvement in Asian and Pacific affairs that long predates his time in the Senate. In addition to his more recent visits as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Webb has worked and traveled throughout this vast region, from Micronesia to Burma, for nearly four decades, as a Marine Corps officer, a defense planner, a journalist, a novelist, a Department of Defense executive, and as a business consultant. He worked in the 1990s as a consultant for companies attempting to do business in Vietnam.
Jim Webb