Indopacific club cannot ‘contain’ us: China envoy

HARD TALK Ambassador to US clears stand on cooperation platform between four countries Good relations between China and the US are not at the expense of any other country. The same should be true for relations between the US and India , and Japan and India.

CUI TIANKAI , Beijing’s envoy to United States

WASHINGTON: Beijing’s envoy to Washington has warned against attempts to “contain” China through steps such as the sale of Us-made military hardware to India or the formation of an “exclusive club” in the Indo-pacific region.

Ambassador Cui Tiankai made the remarks during a rare news conference at the Chinese embassy here on Monday ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing next week.

He was speaking after senior American and Japanese officials, including secretary of state Rex Tillerson, outlined an Indo-pacific strategy revolving around greater cooperation between Japan, India, Australia and the US in the face of China’s rising power in the region.

Responding to questions on the India-centric policy speech by Tillerson and the US administration’s decision to sell hi-tech military gear to India, he said: “I don’t think that the sales of advanced arms would really serve that purpose. “By the way, I don’t think anybody would be able to contain China,” he added.

Trump’s state visit is a historic opportunity to boost cooperation between the world’s two largest economies but relationships should not be seen as a “zero-sum game” at the expense of another county, Cui said.

China is open to cooperation with all its neighbours so that the Asia-pacific continues to be a peaceful and prosperous region, Cui said. He added that he did not think “any attempt to form exclusive clubs in the region following a so-called zero sum approach will help anybody”.

The envoy further said, “We are following developments in the region very closely and hopefully other countries will have the same approach as we have,” he said in response to a question on the proposed quadrilateral dialogue between India, Japan, the US and Australia.

Trump is scheduled to make a 10-day visit to Asia that will take him to China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines. He is expected to unveil the quadrilateral dialogue during his meeting with Japanese premier Shinzo Abe.

Turning to the India-china relationship, Cui said it had “been developing quite steadily over the years”. President Xi Jinping has always said the Pacific Ocean is large enough to accommodate the development of China and the US, and the Asia-pacific region is big enough to accommodate the development of China, India and Japan, he said.

Without referring to the standoff between India and China at Doklam, Cui said “confrontation” was not in the interest of both countries. “I’m quite confident that both countries have a clear recognition of what will serve their respective interests best,” he said.

Asked about the strengthening of the India-us relationship, which many say is aimed at China, Cui remarked that the ties between any two countries should not be a zero sum game.

“Good relations between China and the US are not at the expense of any other country. The same should be true for relations between the US and India, and Japan and India,” he said. It will not be in the interest of these countries if their aim is to “contain” China, he added.

Cui also said the US shouldn’t obstruct efforts by China and Asean members to agree on a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea. The US has no territorial claim in these waters and should let regional countries manage their disputes, he said.

Efforts to forge a legally binding code of conduct between China and the members of the 10-nation Asean group have long been stymied by Beijing’s reluctance to negotiate with nations as a bloc and differences within Asean itself.