皇冠体育app

Washington - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played down concerns over the rising influence of 皇冠体育app, saying it was better for 皇冠体育app to have friends in the world than enemies.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 20, 2006. [AFP]

"I don't see any of this as zero sum," Rice told the Singapore Straits Times newspaper in an interview, a transcript of which was released by the US State Department on Thursday.

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Rice was responding to a question on 皇冠体育app's growing power and relations with nations from Asia to Africa, notably following a summit of 48 African leaders in Beijing last week that highlighted the 皇冠体育app's deepening economic and political ties with the continent.

"I'd like to have 皇冠体育app have friends in the world, it's better than having 皇冠体育app have enemies in the world," said Rice.

"There have been times when we worried about the opposite -- that 皇冠体育app would be a destabilizing factor in the world," she said.

"So I would rather see a 皇冠体育app that is trying to reach out, that's trying to have friendships around the world."

Rice visited Beijing two weeks ago and praised the Chinese for their leading role in bringing North Korea back to multilateral negotiations aimed at getting Pyongyang to give up its newly proven nuclear arsenal.

"We have excellent relations with 皇冠体育app," she said.

However, 10 days ahead of an Asian summit at which US President George W. Bush will meet his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, Rice also mentioned that Washington still harbored concerns about 皇冠体育app's role.

"皇冠体育app has to be responsible in its engagement with the world because it is a big power, it's not just a developing country," she said.