Beijing: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who would be in New York later this month to address the annual UN General Assembly session, would meet US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the event.
Wen will be meeting Obama during his trip to the United
Nations in New York, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu
Zhenmin told reporters here.
"The exact time (of the meeting) has not been decided,"
he said.
Wen would also be meeting other world leaders during his
stay in New York between September 21 and September 23.
Besides addressing the UN General Assembly, he would
attend a high-level UN meeting on the Millennium Development
Goals during his visit, Liu said.
The Chinese Premier would take part in the general debate
of the 65th session of the UN General Assembly as a guest of
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Liu said.
Chinese officials attach a great deal of significance to
Wen-Obama meeting as the ties between the two of the world`s
biggest economies experienced turbulence once again over a
host of strategic and economic issues.
Earlier this month, US National Economic Council Chairman
Larry Summers and Deputy National Security Adviser Thomas
Donilon visited China and held talks with a number of Chinese
leaders and officials, including Wen and President Hu Jintao.
The issues over which the two sides had differences
included the US-South Korean naval exercises, stand-off over
North Korean nuclear weapons and China`s trade surplus riding
on its increase in exports to the US and continued government
control over the Chinese currency yuan, which remains
steadfastly week against dollar despite promise of reform.
Besides, there is a diplomatic crisis between China and
Japan, a close ally of the US, over the detention of the
captain of a Chinese fishing trawler by Japanese coast guards
off the disputed Diaoyu Islands.
Japan has released the 14 crew members and the trawler,
but not the captain.
PTI
