(CNN) -- President Obama arrived in China on Sunday, where his visit has created waves -- good and bad.
At local markets, Chinese government officials banned a popular Obama shirt over fears that it would offend their guest.
It depicts Obama wearing a Chinese Communist outfit made famous by Mao Zedong, the late Communist leader. The back has "Oba-Mao" printed on it.
Obama's visit comes as China relishes its spot as a key global player. It is involved in major international disputes such as the showdowns with Iran and North Korea, and has used its position on the U.N. Security Council and its economic leverage to influence events around the globe.
China also is now the dominant regional player in northeast Asia, recently hosting a summit in Beijing with the Japanese and South Korean leaders.
The nation's economic expansion has led to a demand for raw materials around the world and the rapid expansion of China's presence in countries such as Guinea, Myanmar, Sudan and Venezuela. Human rights groups say China is propping up repressive regimes to secure its access to critically important raw materials.
China's rapid economic expansion outpaces growth in the United States, 8.9 percent in the past quarter versus 3.5 percent in the United States, giving Beijing huge economic leverage.
Obama, who landed in Shanghai on Sunday night, will also visit Beijing.
Trade issues are likely to be major discussion topics when the president visits; the United States imports billions of dollars in Chinese products each year. He will meet with President Hu Jintao before the leaders issue a joint statement following their talks.
Obama plans to make a side trip to the Great Wall.
The final stop of his Asia trek is Seoul, where Obama will meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and deliver a speech to American troops at Osan Air Base.
Obama is on an eight-day journey that has also taken him to Japan and Singapore. He'll return to the United States on Friday.
The president left for China from Singapore, where he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations economic forum, and met on the sidelines with world leaders including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
In Shanghai, Obama will make an embassy visit, meet with the mayor and hold a town hall-style meeting with "future Chinese leaders."
He will leave Monday for Beijing, where events will include a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Hu.
Obama's half-brother Mark Obama Ndesandjo lives in Shenzhen, in southern China. Ndesandjo, an engineer by trade, moved from the United States after losing his job seven years ago.
Ndesandjo took the last name of the man his mother remarried and has dodged the media since Obama was elected president. He spoke to reporters about his semi-autobiographical book, "Nairobi to Shenzhen," earlier this month.
He said their father was abusive and beat him and his mother. Ndesandjo owns a small chain of restaurants in Shenzhen and teaches piano to orphans.
The White House did not say whether the president would see him during his trip.
Obama's visit has prompted extra security measures and other logistical efforts in China. Shanghai's red-light district -- where sex workers thrive -- has been cleared out.
