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WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States and China have agreed on the need to reduce tensions and avoid a repeat of a confrontation between American and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.
It followed a meeting with her counterpart Yang Jiechi in Washington, which she described as "very positive". The Chinese foreign minister is also set to meet US President Barack Obama later on Thursday.
Clinton was largely upbeat after meeting with Yang. She said his visit to Washington – which comes on the heels of her own trip to Beijing last month – underscored the importance of the countries' relationship and the breadth of their common interests.
"There is no doubt that world events have given the United States and China a full and formidable agenda. The United States is committed to pursuing a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship with China – one that we believe is important for the future peace, progress and prosperity. Not only for both of our countries, but indeed for the entire world," the secretary of state said.
But tension all but overshadowed their meeting. The US and Chinese navies have been sparring over a weekend clash in the South China Sea.
"We must work hard in the future to avoid such incidents and to avoid this particular incident having consequences that are unforeseen," said Clinton.
Some analysts said it is reminiscent of the 2001 EP-3 crisis when China detained a US spy plane and crew following a crash, and which was an early test for the Bush administration.
Bonnie Glaser, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said: "Those kinds of incidents can potentially escalate, but they are nevertheless symbols of the persisting strategic mistrust that we have between our two countries."
But it is unclear whether the incident will have broader implications – both for the countries' bilateral relationship and regional issues like North Korea.
"I don't think this will hamper our cooperation, for example, on North Korea and trying to denuclearise the Korean peninsula," said Glaser.
This week also marked the 50th anniversary of Tibet's failed uprising, intensifying ongoing concern in the US about China's human rights record.
Both foreign ministers chose to accentuate the positive, saying they were laying the groundwork for April's G20 meeting in London and stressed that they would cooperate on a number of issues.
It is clear they will not allow the naval standoff to divert the bilateral relationship between Washington and Beijing.
- CNA/so
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