Obama’s national security aide to visit China, India

The US President Barack Obama’s national security advisor will visit China and India this week to advance US interests ahead of the East Asian Summit in November, the White House has announced.

On Friday “National Security Advisor, Mr Thomas E. Donilon will travel to Beijing, China for meetings with Chinese leaders and policymakers, including Vice-Premier, Mr Wang Qishan, and State Councillor, Mr Dai Bingguo,” a statement said yesterday.

In Beijing, Mr Donilon will “discuss a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual concern,” likely to include a row between the United States and China over the latter’s alleged manipulation of the yuan, which Washington says makes Chinese products cheaper and US goods more expensive.

Mr Donilon will then head to New Delhi for meetings with Indian leaders including its national security advisor, Mr Shivshankar Menon, the statement said.

Mr Donilon and Indian leaders will “review recent developments” in the US-India partnership, and “discuss ways to advance key elements of the relationship, including both countries’ participation in the upcoming East Asia Summit,” in Indonesia, it added.

The visit “underscores this administration’s commitment to growing US leadership in Asia, and our work with emerging powers, such as China and India, as a core component of this commitment,” the White House statement concluded.

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