Obama reassures Japan, other allies on China ahead of visit

By Linda Sieg and Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama has said Washington welcomes China’s rise but that engagement with Beijing would not come at the expense of its Asian allies – as Chinese state media greeted his imminent arrival in the region with a broadside accusing the United States of wanting to “cage” the emerging superpower. Obama’s remarks, aimed at reassuring Japan and other allies, set against a robust commentary from China’s state news agency Xinhua that also called the United States “myopic”, demonstrate the delicate balancing act Obama faces on a week-long Asia tour. The four-nation trip that starts in Tokyo later on Wednesday comes at a time of rising tension in the region, and as the United States urges Japan’s unpredictable neighbor North Korea not to conduct another nuclear test.