The Washington Post reports: "President Barack Obama is hoping to generate early momentum for international climate talks in Paris next week by holding one-on-one meetings there with the leaders of China and India...Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said the opening-day meeting between the leaders of the U.S. and China, the two largest emitters of carbon dioxide, 'sends a strong message to the world about their shared commitment to combat climate change and see an ambitious agreement achieved.'"
The Associated Press reports: "Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Tuesday expressed his support for the U.S. Navy's sailing of a warship close to one of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea...The defense minister's visit to Hawaii to meet with senior U.S. military leaders was his first since Japan's parliament in September approved legislation loosening post-World War II constraints on its military. The new law allows Tokyo's military to defend its allies even when the country isn't under attack. The law will enable Japan to work more closely with the U.S. and other nations."
The Washington Post reports: "The killings of Chinese citizens by Islamic militants in Syria and Mali place President Xi Jinping in a quandary: How can Beijing respond effectively without betraying its strict stance against intervention? The dilemma underscores the tension between China's desire to be seen as a leading global power and its desire to maintain its own independent foreign policy while shunning the U.S.-led Western liberal democratic political agenda. How Xi will square that ideological circle and what concrete actions he'll take in response could mark an inflection point in Chinese diplomacy. More likely, analysts say, he'll stick to China's long-established neutrality while possibly taking limited behind-the-scenes measures to help in the global campaign against Islamic extremists."