Bush said he hoped to watch the track and field heats in Beijing and NBA star Yao Ming in action against the American basketball team. He also said he planned to get some exercise by riding the Olympic mountain bike course.

"I am going to China this time as the U.S. president who happens to be a sports fan," The Nation quoted him as saying.

Bush countered critics of his Asia policy, the Bangkok Post reported.

"In terms of foreign policy in the Far East, it is mistaken if someone were to say that my preoccupation was on the war on terror," he said. "Our relations with your country (Thailand), South Korea, with Japan and China have never been stronger. And it took a lot of work to get bilateral relations as strong as they are."

Despite the farewell nature of his Asian swing, Bush said that in his Bangkok speech he will stress that he is not fading away as the time for his exit from office nears.

"I will also remind people that I will be sprinting to the finish, that I will finish this job strong," he said.