Washington: US President Barack Obama is slated to meet Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabo and Japanese leader Kan Naoto next week amid Sino-Japan tensions over claims to some Island in East China Sea.
Obama will meet the two leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York next week, the White House said yesterday.
The White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama will meet Wen Jiabao on September 23.
"They will discuss a wide range of topics touching on bilateral and international issues, among them US-China economic relations, global rebalancing, and North Korea. This meeting underscores our two nations` commitment to a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship," he said.
"I anticipate that issues around the global economy will be mentioned," Gibbs said when asked if the currency issue would come up during the meeting.
The same day he would meet Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto.
"The two leaders will reaffirm their mutual commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. The leaders are expected to discuss pressing issues such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Iran, and the global economy. This will be the second meeting between the two leaders," Gibbs said.
Besides addressing the UN General Assembly, Obama will attend a UN-hosted meeting on Sudan to look ahead to the critical 2011 referendum.
He will also host a meeting with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in New York.
"The President has invited the leaders of the 10 ASEAN member states, as well as the ASEAN Secretary General to join him for the second ever US-ASEAN leaders meeting," Gibbs said.
"I think many of the issues that we talked about last year at the United Nations remain on the docket: concern about Iran, concern about North Korea. Obviously we go having made progress yesterday on a START treaty that we still believe that the Senate will ratify before the end of the year and mark an important accomplishment on both nations` path towards reducing our stockpile of nuclear weapons," he said in response to a question.
PTI
