The alliance between the United States and Japan should not be viewed in China as a threat, President Barack Obama said Tuesday, though he acknowledged mutual concerns over Beijing's actions in the disputed South China Sea.

"We don't think that a strong US-Japan alliance should be seen as a provocation," Obama told a joint White House press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, when asked how Beijing should view their relationship. "As I've said before, we welcome China's peaceful rise."