China 'not a threat' in L. America
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The United States does not view China as a threat and Washington is in talks with Beijing on cooperation in Latin America, long considered America's backyard, a senior US official said on Wednesday.
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Arturo Valenzuela |
However, "we are talking generally we haven't come up with any concrete steps", said the US official, who arrived on Monday for a five-day China tour.
The Obama administration's top diplomat for Latin America said he regarded China joining the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as well as being an official observer at the Organization of American States (OAS) as positive moves.
The IDB is the prime source of multilateral financing and expertise for sustainable economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean region, while the OAS promotes social and economic development.
"We are talking with China about further cooperation with both of those institutions," he said.
Valenzuela was in Beijing for the fourth round of talks between China and the US on Western Hemisphere issues under the framework of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue. The talks ended on Monday.
"We don't see China as a threat," Valenzuela said, when asked whether China will compete with the US in Latin America.
Valenzuela stated the point when he met reporters in Beijing earlier in the day.
"It (China) certainly is not of concern, it certainly is not a threat."
China has strong ties with both Cuba and Venezuela, neither of which are close to the US.
"In fact, we see China providing Latin America with many more opportunities to grow their economies, to provide better jobs, to increase the standard of living ... We both benefit from a stable, prosperous Latin America that engages much more in world trade," he said.
"So this is a win-win for both countries."
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