President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao have met on the sidelines of a major Asian summit, likely focusing on the economic matters that have prompted mutual disputes.
The session was not a formally planned. Photographers and a videographer were allowed in at the start of the meeting, where the two men exchanged small talk. They were not expected to make formal statements.
The meeting came on the last leg of Obama's nine-day Asia-Pacific trip, in which he has focused on bulking up America's presence in the region, including setting up a Marine task force in Australia, in moves largely seen as hedges against China's rise.
On November 18, Obama hailed the East Asia Summit as the top forum for settling the region's maritime territorial disputes with China, contradicting Beijing's desire to see such rows negotiated bilaterally.
compiled from agency reports
The session was not a formally planned. Photographers and a videographer were allowed in at the start of the meeting, where the two men exchanged small talk. They were not expected to make formal statements.
The meeting came on the last leg of Obama's nine-day Asia-Pacific trip, in which he has focused on bulking up America's presence in the region, including setting up a Marine task force in Australia, in moves largely seen as hedges against China's rise.
On November 18, Obama hailed the East Asia Summit as the top forum for settling the region's maritime territorial disputes with China, contradicting Beijing's desire to see such rows negotiated bilaterally.
compiled from agency reports