assertiveness

He also strengthened defence alliances across Asia and the Pacific to counter China's increasing assertiveness in the region.

But all eyes were on Chancay and what it says about China's growing assertiveness in a region that the US has traditionally seen as its sphere of influence.

The leaders of the Quad group of nations - Japan, Australia, India and the US - said last week that they would expand cooperation on maritime security to counter China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

While the relationship between Beijing and Washington has improved in the past year, China's increasing assertiveness in the region remains a sticking point.

China's increasing assertiveness in Asia has also made the US wary of the impact of those ties further afield - particularly with Iran, which allies itself with Moscow and also arms Israel’s adversaries.