China needs to accept the global responsibilities that come with its emergence as an Asia-Pacific power, and be more transparent about its military build-up, the United States and Australia said on Thursday.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who met Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer in Sydney, said it was important to ensure that China's growing influence in international politics was positive.
Rice urged Beijing to be more open with its people and the world about the country's economy and a build-up of its 2.3 million-strong People's Liberation Army, already the world's largest standing military force. "I heard that there is going to be a 14 percent increase in the Chinese defence budget - that's a lot. China should undertake to be transparent about what that means," Rice told a joint news conference with Downer.
Rice said that she was concerned about China's transition, but Washington planned to encourage positive trends in China's development and work closely with Beijing on global issues.
"The growth of the Chinese economy, if it's done in a rules-based way, in which China is fully obeying the rules of the global economy, is a very positive development for international growth and for the United States," Rice said.
While Rice has expressed concern that China could become a "negative force", Australia sees it as more of an economic opportunity and has been struggling to balance ties with two of its largest trading partners.
A senior US State Department official, trying to play down differences with Australia, said later that the two were on the same page with China and that Downer had not asked the United States to modify its views.
"This was not a contentious issue," said the official, who was at the meeting with Downer and Rice.
The rise of China will be the focus of top-level security talks between Australia, the United States and Japan on Saturday, but Downer said that Canberra did not believe Washington was pursuing a policy of containing the Asian giant.
"China, as it's a growing power, as it's an emerging power in the region, is a country that needs to understand that brings a level of responsibilities," Downer said.
"It has a responsibility to make sure that it works comfortably and constructively with other countries in the region, that it makes a positive contribution to regional as well as to global issues. We hope they will continue to do that."
During her first trip to Australia as secretary of state, Rice also thanked one of America's closest allies for keeping troops in Iraq and said she was confident Iraq would build a stable foundation for democracy during the next couple of years.
With sectarian violence rising in Iraq, Washington is anxious to retain as many foreign forces as it can there. Canberra has promised to keep troops in Iraq into 2007.
"Australia has been at our side whenever we have fought for freedom," Rice, with Downer at her side, told US sailors aboard the USS Port Royal, which is on a port call to Sydney.
Australia's involvement in Iraq has been unpopular among many Australians and opinion polls have shown dwindling support for the mission there.
RICE A MURDERER: AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS During a speech under heavy security at the University of Sydney, Rice was interrupted several times by shouts of "murderer" and "war criminal" before the protesters were led from the auditorium.
As an original member of the "coalition of the willing" that supported the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Australia was one of the first countries to commit forces and still has about 1,300 troops stationed there and in the region.
Rice and Downer also took the time to discuss the US deal with India on civil nuclear energy, Iran's nuclear ambitions and Indonesia.
Later on Thursday, Rice was set to have dinner with Prime Minister John Howard.
Comments
Comments are closed.