US Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice on Thursday emphatically
denied that the US was pursuing a policy of containment against
China in an exclusive interview with The Australian, a
leading Australian newspaper, during her visit to the
country.
"I come from the Cold War period," Rice said.
"Containment has a special meaning. We never used it in this
context ... I think it's just a phrase I wouldn't apply," she
said.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer warned earlier this
week against using containment as a strategy for dealing with
China.
The term was used in a media interview earlier this week, and
Downer again volunteered the controversial phrase at a joint press
conference with Rice on Thursday.
"From our point of view we've never had a concern that the US
was pursuing a policy of containment of China or something like
that," Downer said.
"Our relationship has its own dynamic, we have our own issues.
We have a very good and constructive relationship with China," he
said.
Rice also said that the US had "excellent" relations with
Beijing and had tried to engineer China's integration into regional
and global institutions.
However, Rice restated that the US had concerns about China's
human rights, religious freedom and military build-up.
Rice is scheduled to hold a inaugural ministerial security
dialogue on Saturday with Downer and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro
Aso, a discussion that is expected to focus on the rise of
China.
(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2006)