Terming as "most consequential" the US' ties with China, Secretary of State John Kerry today said North Korea's increasingly "destabilising and provocative" behaviour will be the most important issue for the bilateral relationship in future.
In an exit-memo on accomplishments of the State Department during the Obama Administration, Kerry said a number of areas of disagreements existed between the US and China.
"We have areas of vigorous disagreement, including on cybersecurity, human rights, and disputes in the East and South China Seas. In the years ahead, there is perhaps no more important issue on the US-China agenda than North Korea's increasingly destabilising and provocative behaviour," he said.
"In our relationship with China, the most consequential of our bilateral relationships in the world today, we have built on the positive and productive relationship that President Barack Obama established with President Xi Jinping to expand cooperation on a range of global challenges such as clean energy and health, including paradigm-shifting cooperation in reducing the threat of climate change," he said.
Kerry also said the two countries have worked together to increase stability in states like Afghanistan, confront global health epidemics and address development challenges.
In a separate Defense Department's exit-memo, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said tensions in the South China Sea must be managed as must the consequences of North Korea's continued provocative actions.
"At the same time, the next Administration should continue to promote high-standards trade and investment, which will deepen partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region and underscore our strategic advantage in the region," he said.
Carter said the Obama Administration had regularised military-to-military contacts with China at all levels, concluding two risk reduction confidence-building measures in an effort to improve transparency and reduce the risk of unintended incidents.
On the Asia Pacific region, he said the US favoured the development of an inclusive and principled security network that is open to all that seek to preserve and strengthen the rules and norms that have undergirded regional stability for the past seven decades.
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"America is a Pacific nation, and the future of the Asia-Pacific region is closely intertwined with our own," Carter said, adding that the next Administration should continue to pursue additional force posture opportunities, forge closer partnerships with and among countries across the region, and look to protect and strengthen existing alliances and partnerships.
"Our investments must continue to protect our competitive edge in the region by extending the technological military superiority the US and the world have relied upon for decades," he said.
Kerry said since his first day in office, Obama has taken the fight directly to al-Qaeda and its affiliates, never hesitating to use force when necessary to protect the American people.
"Obama made it a top priority from day one to go after Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. Since 2009, we have decimated al-Qaeda core's senior leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including bin Laden, and we've targeted al-Qaeda's affiliates in Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere," he said.
"We must remain vigilant against this threat, but there should be no doubt that, after eight years of relentless counterterrorism efforts, the al-Qaeda that perpetrated 9/11 is today a shadow of what it was on January 20, 2009," he asserted.
Kerry said the ISIS has dramatically undermined stability not just in the Middle East but in other regions as well, and it poses a threat to international peace and security, including a direct threat to many of its key partners and homeland.
"ISIL continues to commit gross, systematic abuses of human rights and violations of international law, and in my judgement, ISIL is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control (including Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims)," Kerry said.
He said the dreaded terror group was also responsible for crimes against humanity and "ethnic cleansing" directed at these same groups and in some cases against Sunni Muslims, Kurds, and other minorities.
Kerry said the US was more secure, more respected, and more engaged in the world today than it was when Obama took office eight years ago.
"We have brought the international community together to confront the most serious challenges we face and to seize the most significant opportunities that will shape our future," he said.
