CHINA / Foreign Media on China
Rice seeks to balance China's power
by NYtimes
Updated: 2006-03-19 10:04
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/19/international/asia/19rice.html
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa �� Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held
talks on Saturday with Japan and Australia to deepen a three-way regional
alliance aimed in part at balancing the spreading presence of China.
At the same time, American officials said the United States was also
looking at the meeting of top envoys of the three countries in Sydney,
Australia, as a means to draw Japan into improving relations with
neighboring countries still suspicious of its intentions 60 years after
World War II.
Heading toward the end of what aides said would be one of the longest
trips by a secretary of state, Ms. Rice joined with the foreign ministers
Alexander Downer of Australia and Taro Aso of Japan in welcoming China's
"constructive engagement" in East Asia. Australian and American officials
acknowledge, however, that the phrase understates the Chinese sphere of
influence.
"The tenor of the discussion was how to make China a positive force in
the region," said Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman,
briefing reporters on the secretary's plane to American Samoa for
refueling. He said the discussion was an effort to add to the web of
American alliances in the area, to enhance stability and not threaten
China.
Nevertheless, in Indonesia earlier in the week and then in Australia,
where Ms. Rice spent nearly three days, she was repeatedly asked by the
local news media about American intentions toward China, which has signed
an array of economic deals with countries on its rim.
At a news conference in Sydney on Thursday, Ms. Rice reinforced those
concerns, criticizing China's military buildup, economic policies and
human rights record. Asked if China would see Ms. Rice's trip as a cause
for concern, another senior official, speaking anonymously under briefing
ground rules, said, "I think we certainly hope so."
Ms. Rice's visit to Australia, from Wednesday night to Saturday
afternoon, was long compared with other stops. But American officials
said Australia, an ally that has sent forces to Iraq and Afghanistan, had
been feeling neglected, and Australian leaders appealed for Ms. Rice to
do some public diplomacy to prop up the sagging American image.
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