The United States and China are planning to announce military agreements aimed at reducing the possibility of confrontation between the two powers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, quoting unnamed U.S. officials.
The Journal said one of the agreements to be unveiled on Wednesday by U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, would provide a mechanism for notifying the two countries of each other's activities, including military exercises.
Washington and Beijing will also set rules of behavior in cases of encounters in the sea and air, the newspaper said, quoting people familiar with the negotiations.
The White House had no immediate comment.
Obama, who is attending an Asia-Pacific summit in Beijing, is also expected to reach a deal with Xi on climate change, the paper added. The two leaders will hold bilateral talks as part of an official state visit on Wednesday.
The summit comes at a time of growing China-U.S. friction, with Washington trying to expand American interests in Asia, while Xi demonstrates more willingness than his predecessors to demonstrate Beijing's clout on regional issues, including the pursuit of maritime claims in Asia.
A senior U.S. official said on Tuesday the United States would be "very clear" with China if it veers beyond the bounds of international norms on cybersecurity and other issues.
Cyber-spying and maritime disputes will be among the issues discussed in the Obama-Xi talks, U.S. deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.
