Side of the Bed: November 13 - 19, 2011 The tour of the Pacific Rim: Hawaii

President Obama, who was born in Hawaii and has lived in Indonesia, has dubbed himself the 'Pacific president' [AFP]

Barack Obama, the US president, has arrived in his native Hawaii to host a weekend summit of leaders from Pacific Rim nations.

Obama was due to embark on a day of heavy diplomacy with some of Washington's most important and complicated allies on Saturday, after arriving in his birth city of Honolulu aboard Air Force One.

The nine-day tour of the Pacific Rim - which includes countries bordering the Pacific Ocean from North and South America to Asia to Oceania - will also see Obama meeting the leaders of Japan, China and Russia.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum brings together 21 economies in an annual summit focused on economic growth, free trade and investment.

This year's summit promises to be dominated by fears over the eurozone crisis and talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a US-led free trade deal that knock down trade barriers across the Pacific Ocean.

After leaving Hawaii on Monday, Obama will celebrate 60 years of security ties with Australia and make the first visit by a US president to the East Asia summit, set for Bali next week.

Obama also was to meet US business leaders on Saturday to highlight the importance for interests back home of the Asia-Pacific region.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama welcomed the leaders and representatives from 20 other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation nations with a luau, hula and a Hawaiian proverb at the Hale Koa Hotel.

“We have music. We have song. We have celebration and we have hula dancing,” Obama said. “Now, Michelle doesn’t think I’m a very good dancer so I will not be performing,” which drew laughter from the crowd.