White House says economy main U.S. interest in Asia (Reuters)
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao discussed the value of China's currency as well America's commercial interests in the South China Sea on Saturday, a White House official said.
"The principal focus of the meeting was on economics," Tom Donilon, Obama's top national security adviser, told reporters after the two leaders met on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit on the Indonesian island of Bali.
"It was a good engagement," Donilon said of the brief meeting. He said the United States wanted to endure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the South China Sea and the peaceful resolution of disputes there.
Donilon described the U.S.-China diplomatic dynamic as "productive and constructive" and said Obama had been clear and direct about America's interests in his talks with Wen in Bali as well as Chinese President Hu Jintao last week in Honolulu.
"We have a very complicated and quite substantial relationship with China across the board," he said, describing the Obama administration's commitment to a "deep engagement strategy" with the Chinese on a range of issues as the United States increases its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
"I think they understand our strategy," Donilon said. (Reporting by Laura MacInnis, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)
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