China needs to play by international norms, says U.S. official

A senior bureaucrat of the Obama administration, who is currently on a visit to New Delhi, has said China needs to play by international rules and norms, or it will continue to be politically and economically stalemated.

Wendy Sherman, U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs, told an audience at an interaction organized by the University of Chicago Center in India that, "China needs to play by international norms and rules. It must not think short term. We are hopeful for a prosperous, peaceful and cooperative China."

Sherman and U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Anne W. Patterson were referring to China's oft-mentioned recent expansionist designs in Africa and Pakistan.

Economic relations between China and Africa include an ongoing move by Beijing to secure highly-needed natural resources through bilateral trade and diplomatic relations.

The key resources that are being targeted in Africa include oil, minerals, timber, and cotton. The countries in the African continent where China has established a majority presence include Sudan, Angola, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Many African countries are viewed as fast-growing markets and profitable outlets for the immediate export of cheap manufactured goods, and the future export of high-end products and services.

Taiwan, the United States, France, and the UK are China's main competitors in Africa. Critics argue that Chinese exports to Africa as well as Chinese business practices have impeded aspects of African development. China continues to expand its influence in the region on diplomatic, cultural, and commercial fronts.

Insofar as Pakistan is concerned, the American diplomats said that they too were concerned about the recent launching of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor project.

During President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Pakistan, China signed 51 Memoranda of Understanding with Pakistan worth USD 46 billion as part of the project. These MoUs are to be financed by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited, the Exim Bank of China and the China Development Bank Corporation.

This project will allow China to transport energy resources such as petroleum from Middle Eastern countries to China via a land route through Pakistan.

The deal is particularly significant amid the escalating military tensions unleashed by the Obama administration's "Pivot to Asia," designed to isolate and contain China.

It would allow China to largely circumvent the threat of a blockade of Chinese energy imports from the Middle East by United States and allied navies.

China, the world's biggest oil importer, imports 60 percent of its oil from the Middle East and transports 80 percent of that through the Indian Ocean, the Strait of Malacca, and the South and East China Seas.

Ambassador Patterson, who has served as the U.S. head of mission in Islamabad, said, "China's investment in Pakistan is enormous, and though I am not party to the exact details, I would be asking questions about the deal."

Nisha Desai Biswal, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, said, "There is no zero-sum equation in bilateral ties. Connectivity is the key to development of Asia. Financing is welcome in infrastructure, trade, ports and railways etc. We can expect multiple sources of connectivity to come into play in the region. However, transparency is the key and norms need to be adhered to.