U.S. President Barack Obama, right, is welcomed by Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott upon arrival for the G20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia on Nov. 15, 2014.BRISBANE, Australia – With an eye on China, President Barack Obama and the prime ministers of Japan and Australia met Sunday to commit their countries to closer cooperation on security in the Asia Pacific region.
But their meeting, the first since 2007 among leaders of the three allies, risked antagonizing Beijing after a week when Obama reached a surprising level of consensus with Chinese President Xi Jinping on climate change and trade, and Japan and China took steps to improve their relationship.
China has viewed Obama’s efforts to deepen alliances with other countries in the region, particularly on security issues, as an attempt to counter Beijing’s rise.
“It’s good to be here in Brisbane with two such economic and strategic partners,” Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.
White House officials insisted that the three-way talks on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit were not meant to send a message to China. But in advance of Obama’s meeting with Abbott and Japan’s Shinzo Abe, the president pressed China to “adhere to the same rules as other nations — whether in trade or on the seas.”