US President Barack Obama returned to Washington early Sunday from an Asian summit where he sought to underscore his administration's foreign policy shift towards the Pacific.

A Marine Corps helicopter carrying the president touched down on a lawn outside the White House at 1:45 am (0645 GMT), officials said. Obama walked to his residence without making remarks.

During his trip to Asia, Obama met China's Premier Wen Jiabao and prodded him on maritime territorial rows and economic wrangles, amid signs of Chinese scorn for his Pacific diplomatic push.

On Friday, the US president also announced he would send Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Myanmar next month to encourage signs of democratic reform from the new nominally civilian regime, in a country ruled by a military junta for decades.