On Huffington Post, lawyer Elizabeth Lynch gives an overview of the issues that President Obama may discuss with President Hu during his upcoming visit to China:

President Obama will visit China, his first trip to the country, from November 15 through the 18. Although his visit is less than two weeks away, the question remains – what will be on the agenda for his three days in China. While the White House has yet to release President Obama’s schedule, expect President Obama and President Hu Jintao (pronounced Who Gin-tao) to discuss military ties, global economic health, climate change and human rights.

(1) Improved US-China Military Relations – Let’s Hope
While U.S.-China economic ties bring the two nations into alignment on various issues, military-to-military relations remain dangerously tense. President George W. Bush realized this early on in his presidency after a U.S. spy plane crashed with a Chinese military jet and was then forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan Island in China. For a few days, it was unclear what the Chinese military would do with the captured U.S. pilots, leading to the acknowledgement that better communication between the two militaries was necessary.

President Obama has already had a taste of the danger of weak military ties this past March, when five Chinese naval vessels circled and threatened a U.S. navy ship in international waters, 75 miles off of Hainan Island.

Update: The Council on Foreign Relations interviewed several Asia experts about their views of the trip, including Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, Joshua Kurlantzick, Fellow for Southeast Asia, Council on Foreign Relations, Elizabeth C. Economy, Director of Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, Scott A. Snyder, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Korea Studies, Council on Foreign Relations:

For the president’s first stop, in Tokyo, CFR’s Senior Fellow for Japan Studies Sheila Smith lays out an agenda for revitalizing the U.S. relationship with a new Japanese government. Southeast Asia Fellow Joshua Kurlantzick stresses the need for greater trade liberalization at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Singapore. CFR’s Director of Asia Studies Elizabeth Economy advises Obama to listen to a range of Chinese voices beyond those of Communist party leaders while he’s in China, and CFR’s Scott Snyder says regional security issues as well as coordination of response to the global financial crisis will be on the Seoul agenda.