MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) - US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss bilateral relations, as well as terrorism threats and cooperation against extremist groups, following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing in November, the South China Morning Post reported Wednesday.
"Stabilising the bilateral relationship is a main goal for both countries. To achieve this goal, both sides will focus on cooperation measures that can lead to tangible results," Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
Following the conclusion of the APEC summit, which is to take place in Beijing on November 4-11, Xi and Obama will take part in anti-terrorism talks initiated by the Chinese foreign minister in July, a sign that the country is taking the rise of extremist fighters and radicalism as a serious problem.
The meeting will devote a full day of discussions between the leaders focused on strengthening bilateral ties. Talks on counterterrorism are expected to center around the Islamic State (IS), which is currently the target of the US-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. China, however, has not agreed to participate in the operation.
According to Canrong, the leaders will discuss information exchanges between both country's intelligence agencies in addition to ways to cut funding linked to the IS and other extremist groups. The countries could also make plans to provide training for Iraq's special police.
Apart from counterterrorism, the two leaders will discuss cooperation on climate change and containing the Ebola epidemic. The United States is expected to raise the topic of China's claims on the disputed islands in the South China Sea as well as its enforcement of antitrust laws against foreign multinationals.
