Obama to meet with Chinese president at nuclear summit

by Jordan Fabian - 03/24/16 9:46 AM ET

President Obama will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington next week on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit, the White House said Thursday.

The March 31 meeting will be a chance for the two leaders to advance “cooperation on a range of issues of mutual interest” while addressing “areas of disagreement constructively,” the White House said.

{mosads}The meeting comes amid growing concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program.

The U.S. has pushed China to join other nations in imposing tough penalties on Pyongyang for its string of recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Meanwhile, Xi is expected to urge Obama to join diplomatic talks over North Korea’s nuclear program, according to Reuters.

China has backed new United Nations sanctions on North Korea, but officials believe those punishments have been ineffective in curbing the isolated nation’s nuclear ambitions.

Obama and Xi could also discuss the next steps in implementing the Paris climate change agreement, as well as disputes over maritime issues in the South China Sea and cybersecurity.

During a state visit to the United States last September, the Obama announced a new agreement designed to tamp down hacking of private companies.

Tags Barack Obama China North Korea Xi Jinping