US tells China to reform in its own interest

The United States told China on Monday that improvements in human rights and economic reforms would serve Beijing's own interests and promised it was not seeking to contain the Asian power's rise. The United States said it was raising concerns about rights and the value of China's currency during two days of wide-ranging talks. But the two sides largely struck a conciliatory tone, stressing the need for co-operation.
Launching the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue, Vice President Joe Biden predicted that the US-China relationship would shape the 21st century and said: "A healthy competition, in our view, is good for both of us." "For many of the world's pressing problems, it's a simple fact that when the United States and China are not at the table, the solution to the problem is less possible," Biden said.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States and China "both have much more to gain from co-operation than from conflict." "Some in our country see China's progress as a threat to the United States; some in China worry that America seeks to constrain China's growth. We reject both those views," she said. But the talks come amid China's biggest crackdown on dissent in years, with authorities - apparently spooked by democracy protests in the Middle East - detaining dozens of perceived critics including bloggers, artists and lawyers.
"We have vigorous disagreement in the area of human rights," Biden said, with top Chinese leaders at his side. "No relationship that's real can be built on a false foundation. Where we disagree, it's important to state it." "Protecting fundamental rights and freedoms, such as those enshrined in China's international commitments as well as in China's own constitution, is the best way to promote long-term stability and prosperity of any society," he said.
But Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that the value of the yuan remained the top priority for the United States. He encouraged China to move from an export-driven economy to one based on domestic consumption - an enticing prospect for US businesses eager to tap into an increasingly prosperous market of 1.3 billion people.
With US businesses complaining of excess regulations in China, Geithner also called on Beijing to provide "a more level playing field" and to open up its financial sector, which now is dominated by old-fashioned bank accounts. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan said that his country was committed to opening up but urged the United States to "refrain from politicising" trade.
He called China's efforts to address economic imbalances "a long process," adding: "It's not something we can do overnight." He said China had made progress since last year's dialogue, and called on Washington to move on China's request to relax export controls on high-tech goods.
The talks come five months after Chinese President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to the United States in which he tried his hand at public diplomacy in hopes of changing his country's negative image in some parts of Washington. The Chinese side is taking a more low-key approach to the latest talks.