A senior United States official on Friday described talks with China on Latin America as very constructive and positive, giving the US a better understanding of China's interests in the region.

Visiting US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon was speaking after the first ever such discussions between the two countries.

The talks showed that the two countries were extending policy coordination and cooperation, and strengthening dialogues to increase trust and avoid misunderstanding, analysts said.

Zhu Feng, a professor of Beijing University's School of International Studies, said the talks focusing on a region of common concern embodied the global significance of China-US relations.

China has played an increasingly important role in Latin America, which is traditionally regarded as the "backyard" of the United States. So far China has established diplomatic relations with 21 countries of the total 33 Latin American countries, according to Jiang Shixue, a researcher of the Latin America Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Chinese leaders have for several times visited Latin American countries in recent years, discussing political and economic issues with their counterparts, and the country has sent peace keeping forces to the region. These moves have aroused concerns among some US politicians who view China's "entry" as a potential challenge to the safety of the United States.

The Chinese government has explained that China is simply striving for a common prosperity with Latin American countries and China's existence in the region does not create a threat to a third country.

China is the third leg of Shannon's east Asian tour after Japan and the Republic of Korea, where he held similar talks.

During his stay in Beijing, he met with Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and Zeng Gang, head of the ministry's department of Latin American affairs, discussing respective relations with Latin American countries, regional policies and cooperation.

The talks allowed the two sides to better understand each other's policies and to identify "common understanding" and "common approaches and common areas of cooperation" in the region, Shannon said.

Zhu said the discussions, no matter the results, were significant in helping both sides better understand each other's aims and increase mutual strategic communication, so as to avoid confrontation and strategic misunderstanding.

Shannon was reported as saying in Japan that the US did not view China's sudden interest in the region as a negative, but possibly even positive, and discussions were important.

China was taking a path of peaceful development, and the United States was viewing it in a more realistic manner, striving to see China as a "responsible stakeholder", said Yuan Peng, a researcher with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

He said the two countries had more common ground than differences on international issues, and were trying to expand the common ground, enhance communication and consultation on issues and regions involving a common interest.

Currently, China and the United States have maintained frequent exchanges through more than 20 strategic or functional dialogue mechanisms, covering trade and economy, military, culture, healthcare, non-traditional security and other fields.

Strategic talks were held in Beijing last August and Washington in December, focusing on bilateral relations and issues of common concern.

US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer also visited China and exchanged in-depth views on Africa.

Shannon hoped to invite Chinese officials to Washington to continue talks and to identify areas where they might work together and find common approaches.

The US was reconsidering its judgment on China's development reflected in the elevated importance it placed on regional cooperation, Yuan said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2006)