President Obama is scheduled to hold a meeting with ASEAN (Association of South-East Asia Nations) officials at Sunnylands, California, a retreat center, where they will focus on security and economic issues. This, according to the White House, is part of boarder focus on the continent of Asia by Obama’s administration.

The talks will be held for two days, and will be the first of its kind in the U.S. soil. It will illustrate the country’s role as a hub within Asia. In his opening remarks, Obama describes the meeting as a landmark gathering meant to signify an enduring relationship between the U.S. and ASEAN. He further stated that ASEAN happens to be in the core to the peace and prosperity in the region, and needed to meet shared challenges.

The meeting is expected to have a great impact on the economy of involved Asian countries as well as that of the U.S. One of the main agendas to be discussed will be promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation. Although specifics about the Obama’s discussion on economy were not released during the official briefing, it is clear that he is looking to promote further integration and growth, as well as identifying ways he could encourage the countries to be involved in more investments and trade.

The summit is also designed to offer a platform where leaders can share views when it comes to boarder strategic developments. Obama is expected to stress his nation’s commitment and stress the importance of rule of law, accountable institutions and good governance. East Asian and Pacific Affairs’ secretary Daniel Russel praised the regions’ stability, saying that it was driving the economic growth in Asia. He however stressed that the summit wasn’t in response to China, stating clearly that the countries involved had their individual relations and commitments with Beijing.