US welcomes peaceful rise of China: Barack Obama

While setting a firm tone for future relations between the two world powers, US President Barack Obama Tuesday told visiting Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping that the US welcomes peaceful rise of China.

“We believe that it’s critically important that the United States and China develop a strong working relationship to help to bring stability, order and security and ultimately provide a better life for both people of the United States and the people of China,” Xinhua quoted Obama as saying during the two leaders’ meet at the White House.

Obama said the US wants to manage areas of tensions with China in a constructive way and “work together in the G20 to manage the world economic crisis that has such an impact not only on both our countries, but on the entire world,” the report added.

According to CNN, while referring to China’s trade surpluses Obama said that with China’s meteoric rise as an economic powerhouse also came a responsibility to ensure balanced trade flows.

He also raised the delicate issue of human rights as a critical area of concern for the US.

“We’ve tried to emphasise that because of China’s extraordinary development over the last two decades, that with expanding power and prosperity also comes increased responsibilities,” Obama said while sitting next to the Chinese leader who is on a five-day US visit.

“We want to work with China to make sure everyone is working by the same rules of the road when it comes to the world economic system,” he added.

According to BBC, the 58-year-old Xi is widely expected to succeed Chinese President Hu Jintao, who must retire as head of the Communist Party later this year and from the presidency in 2013.