US positive on proactive China

Efforts to encourage China to play a more proactive role in the international community are proving successful, Thomas Christensen, the new US deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said Thursday. He cited cooperation over Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq as evidence of Beijing�s increasingly positive stance, Reuters reported. He also suggested that this more cooperative climate had reduced the chances of a confrontation between China and the US over Taiwan. However, Christensen expressed reservations about China�s poor human rights record, economic and trade imbalances and weapons proliferation. He said that the US will retain strong regional capabilities �in case China �does not eventually move down a path consistent with our interests�.