Obama, Asian leaders huddle on region’s concerns

While making final preparations for his nuclear security summit, President Obama spent Thursday discussing challenges in Asia that span North Korea’s nuclear weapons to China’s military and territorial ambitions.

Obama, who welcomed world leaders to the White House for a working dinner, held private meetings earlier in the day with the top officials from Japan, South Korea, and China, sessions devoted mainly to North Korea’s nukes.

“We continue to face the threat from North Korean provocations,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. “We have to take necessary measures to protect ourselves and our allies.”

The president held a joint meeting in the morning with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korea President Park Geun Hye. Though they are rivals on many issues, Abe and Park are more united over concerns about North Korea, which in recent months has conducted a fourth nuclear bomb test and launched a long-range rocket into space.

Dan Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council, said he expects Obama, Abe, and Park to “clearly demonstrate their unity in our commitment and our firm resolve to deter and defend against North Korean aggression.”

The leaders were expected to discuss the battle against the Islamic State and climate change.

North Korea also topped the agenda when Obama met in the afternoon with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Rhodes noted that U.S. officials have long been talking with Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean officials about the threat posed by North Korea, and “we’re in discussions about the deployment of additional missile defense” in the area.

Obama and Xi also have other topics to discuss as well. They include Chinese military expansion into the South China Sea, which is creating friction with neighboring countries, and allegations that Chinese interests have hacked into U.S. computers.

While the topic is not expected to surface in the Obama-Xi talks, China has also become an issue in the American presidential campaign to replace Obama. Republican front-runner Donald Trump says China is using trade rules to take jobs away from the U.S.

China, Japan, and South Korea are key participants in the fourth bi-annual Nuclear Security Summit, an event Obama first organized in 2010. Thursday’s working dinner at the White House precedes Friday plenary sessions devoted to reducing nuclear stockpiles, improving security at nuclear facilities and producing peaceful nuclear energy.