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Obama, McCain support stronger US-China cooperation

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-15 13:35

Washington -- In articles written for a US business magazine, both Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and his Republican opponent John McCain have advocated stronger US-China cooperation in trade, global warming, nonproliferation and other issues.

Both articles appeared Sunday on the website of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, and will be published in China Brief, the chamber's monthly magazine, on September 22.

How the United States and China meet common challenges, "and the extent to which we can find common ground, will be important both for our own countries and for others in Asia and beyond," Obama wrote.

"China has achieved extraordinary, sustained growth over the past three decades. Hundreds of millions of people in China live better now than most thought possible even two decades ago," he said in the article.

"We know that America and China can accomplish much when we recognize our common interests," Obama said, noting that US-China cooperation in the six-party talks (on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula) over the past few years "makes clear that we can work together constructively, bilaterally and with others, to reduce tensions on even extraordinarily sensitive issues."

The senator from Illinois said his approach to the US-China economic relationship "is positive and forward-looking: to remove obstructions to gaining the benefits of trade and thus to enable faster, and healthier, growth in both economies."

"America and China have developed a mature, wide-ranging relationship over the past 30-plus years. Yet we still have to do serious work if we are to create the level of mutual trust necessary for long-term cooperation in a rapidly changing region," he added.

"Cooperation on the key, enduring global challenges, such as climate change, can deepen understanding and enhance confidence. We also need to deepen high-level dialogues on a sustained basis on economic, security and global political issues. Our militaries should increase not only the quantity of their contacts but the quality of their engagement," said  Obama.

In his article, McCain said he was impressed by China's economic success. "China's double-digit growth rates have brought hundreds of millions out of poverty, energized the economies of its neighbors and produced manifold new economic opportunities," he said.

"The United States shares common interests with China that can form the basis of a strong partnership on issues of global concern, including climate change, trade and proliferation," he added.

"Beyond our economic relationship, the United States shares other common interests with China that can form the basis of a strong partnership on issues of global concern. In addressing the problem of climate change, for instance, Chinese cooperation will be essential," McCain said.

China and the United States "have numerous overlapping interests and I hope to see our relationship evolve in a manner that benefits both countries and, in turn, the Asia-Pacific region and the world," he noted.

"Our ties must be rooted in a broader regional and international order that provides the indispensable bedrock for the shared prosperity and stability we all desire," McCain said.

"America itself must be a stakeholder in that system, and we must take seriously our responsibilities to contribute to it. It is in this spirit that America's relations with China, and with the countries that comprise the region surrounding it, should proceed," he added.

The American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham-China) is a non-profit organization which represents US companies and individuals doing business in China. Its membership comprises more than 2,700 individuals from over 1,200 companies.