US President Barack Obama (R) listens as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) speaks during their meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Nusa Dua. November 19, 2011
Obama to meet Chinese Premier Wen
NUSA DUA, Indonesia: US President Barack Obama will Saturday hold previously unscheduled talks with China's Premier Wen Jiabao, a White House official said, after a week of sharp exchanges between the two nations.
The official said that Obama and Wen would meet on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit on the Indonesia resort island of Bali, following public spats over currency, trade and a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
The meeting in Bali's Grand Hyatt hotel will not include public statements and be open only to still photographers for a short photo opportunity, officials said.
It will take place after Obama escalated US rhetoric towards China, saying that as the world's second-biggest economy Beijing needs to start playing by international "rules of the road" in finance and trade.
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Obama also irked Beijing by announcing a deployment of 2,500 US Marines to Australia, billed by Obama as proof of America's long-term commitment to defending its interests and allies in the region.
And the president's strong support for expanding negotiations on a pan-Pacific trade deal when he hosted the APEC summit in his native Hawaii last week also raised concerns in Beijing, as China is not included.
On Friday, 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.
Wen however warned against interference by "external forces" in the wrangle.
China claims all of the South China Sea, as does Taiwan, while four Southeast Asian countries declare ownership of parts of it, with Vietnam and the Philippines accusing Chinese forces of increasing aggression there.
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