The US should view China’s growing role in the Pacific as grounds for cooperation rather than concern, a top Chinese official said yesterday, amid anxiety over Beijing’s new assertiveness.
Washington and China’s neighbors have expressed increasing fears about Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, military spending and new high-tech equipment, including an aircraft carrier that underwent a sea trial last month.
However, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai (崔天凱), speaking on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Auckland, sought to ease the concerns.
“We are just part of the Pacific region, that’s a geographical fact, nobody can change it — China’s also part of Asia, that’s also quite true,” Cui said.
He said Washington and Beijing shared a common interest in helping Pacific island nations cope with issues such as climate change and economic development, so they should work together.
China has become increasingly active in impoverished Pacific island nations in recent years, offering “soft loans” on easy credit terms and providing aid for projects such as hospitals and roads.
However, Washington has viewed China’s involvement with suspicion and responded by increasing its own diplomatic presence in the region.
Asked if China wanted to cooperate more with the US in the Pacific, Cui said: “I would certainly hope so.”
“Of course, the United States is on the other side of the Pacific, so I don’t think the Pacific Ocean is something that should separate us, China and the US,” he said. “Rather, I would hope that the Pacific Ocean would be kind of a link to bring us together ... I don’t know why anyone should have any reservations about China’s role in the Pacific, we’re just part of it.”
China’s testing of its first aircraft carrier last month has sparked global concern, as has its growing emphasis on securing strategic shipping lanes and mineral-rich areas in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims sovereign rights to almost all of that maritime area, although Taiwan and several Southeast Asian countries have competing claims.
China announced earlier this year that military spending would rise to 601.1 billion yuan (US$91.7 billion) for the year and also said it was developing its first stealth fighter jet.
China stresses the “defensive” nature of its spending. However, a government white paper this week also highlighted its so-called “core interests” of territorial integrity and national reunification with Taiwan.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last month warned against budget cuts in Washington that would lessen US influence in the Pacific at a time when China’s power was rising.
“We are a Pacific power ... we can’t be abruptly pulling back or pulling out when we know we face some long-term challenges about how we are going to cope with what the rise of China means,” she said.
Washington demonstrated its intent by sending a top-level delegation of about 50 officials to the PIF summit in Auckland.
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