China calls on US to respect its rights in East Asia
China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Beijing respects the rightful interests of the United States in East Asia and called on Washington to respect China's rights. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin made the comments at a regular briefing, after comments by US President Barack Obama that the United States intends to assert influence in the region.
On Thursday, Obama said the US military would expand its Asia-Pacific role despite budget cuts, declaring America was "here to stay" as a Pacific power. (Reuters)
