China urges US to play constructive role in Asia

BEIJING - China hopes the United States will play a positive and constructive role in the Asia-Pacific region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said on Thursday in reference to US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's visit to the area.

Panetta Left Washington on Wednesday, kicking off his nine-day tour, which will include stops in Hawaii, Singapore, Vietnam and India. He will participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, delivering a major policy speech that will focus "on the Asia Pacific, and the United States' role there in light of the new strategy and rebalance," according to Pentagon officials.

Liu told a daily press briefing that China has repeatedly voiced its respect for the US presence and interests in the Asia-Pacific region, and hopes the United States will also respect China's interests there.

China continues to believe that seeking peace, stability and development is the general trend and common aspiration of the region, Liu said, noting that Asia-Pacific affairs should be dealt with through consultation among the Asia-Pacific nations.

The spokesman said that China hopes the United States will work with China and other Asia-Pacific countries to build a more prosperous and stable Asia-Pacific, noting that both sides have agreed to build a relationship of mutual benefit and positive interaction between the rising power and established power.

Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, also answered questions on Panetta's Asia-Pacific trip on the same day.

Yang told a monthly press conference that Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie visited the United States this month and invited Panetta to come to China in the second half of 2012.

All participants in the Shangri-La Dialogue, a multilateral forum, have "opportunities and possibilities" to meet and exchange views, Yang said, explaining that Ren Haiquan, vice president of the Academy of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army, will head a delegation to attend the event.

China hopes the dialogue will help enhance understanding and trust, according to Yang.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, a multilateral regional security forum organized by London-based think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies, will gather defense ministers from the Asia Pacific and beyond in Singapore between June 1 and 3.