Russel says high-level engagement has made difference

China and the US have established a "constructive relationship that avoids the trap of strategic rivalry" and the management of the relationship between the two countries has been a "key pillar" of the Obama administration, a US official said.

Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said on Wednesday that the administration's focus on high-level engagement has made a "critical difference" in opening the doors to cooperation on issues such as climate change, global health and counter-piracy.

It has "put a floor under the relationship that ensures we can deal with disagreements or weather a crisis without risking conflict", he said at the Asia Society in New York.

Russel gave remarks prior to President Barack Obama's visit to Asia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in the Philippines and the East Asia Summit in Malaysia. In December, Obama will meet with other world leaders in Paris for the global climate conference.

Commenting on President Xi Jinping's first US state visit in September, Russel said that the United States and China have built out areas of cooperation where the two countries' interests and policies align, but that they don't just "agree to disagree" on instances where they differ.

Xi had said in September that "confrontation and friction are not the right choice" and that "confrontation will lead to losses on both sides".

Speaking about the South China Sea, Russel said that the US does not have any claim over the area and does not "endorse any one sovereignty claim over another. We simply insist that all claims, territorial and maritime, be made based on international law, and that differences be addressed peacefully through diplomatic or legal means. This means no violence, no coercion, no threats."

Defense Minister Chang Wanquan said on Tuesday at a meeting between high-ranking military officials between the US and China that the US' action could lead to misunderstanding and bring uncertainty to regional security. And Fang Fenghui, chief of general staff in the People's Liberation Army, said that China is resolute in its determination to safeguard its sovereignty and maritime interests.

[email protected]