(VOVworld) – US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have expressed their concern about the Japan-China dispute in the East China Sea.

US President Barack Obama (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Photo: AFP)

In a joint statement released on Friday, they called for the acceleration of trade liberation in the Pacific region. Both sides stressed their opposition to China’s use of violence to flex its territorial demands. The joint statement also suggests that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty applies to the Senkakus as managed by Japan. It also showed deep concern over tensions in territorial disputes between China and other Asian countries. Japan and the US also committed themselves to accelerating negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade arrangement between 12 countries.

After leaving Japan, President Obama will head for the Republic of Korea, the second stopover of his visits to 4 Asian countries including Malaysia and the Philippines.