Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama plan to declare in a summit Thursday that the two allies will not tolerate any attempt to alter the status quo by force or coercion, a move aimed at keeping China and Russia in check, sources involved in bilateral relations said Saturday.
Abe and Obama will express a tough stance over repeated intrusions by Chinese patrol ships into waters around the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, as well as Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine last month and Moscow's alleged involvement with unrest in eastern Ukraine, the sources said.
The two leaders are also expected to affirm close coordination in ensuring maritime security, bearing in mind China's rising clout and assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, they said.