US diplomat says China ties a priority (3)

"We really show the breadth of our engagement, of the continued strides we are making in expanding meaningful cooperation on issues that are genuinely important to both our people, to the region and to the world as well as the progress in managing areas where we have real disagreements," he said.

He said he is aware of the problems in the region, such as the nuclear program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea, and issues related to cyberspace, climate change and energy security.

Russel said there will be no "letup, no backtracking" of the US commitment to rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, where the US claims to have enormous interests and investments.

Many Chinese have remained suspicious of the US rebalancing strategy, regarding it as a scheme to contain China's rise. Some US scholars have even called for adjusting the strategy to play down the military component and enhance the economic aspect of the program.

Russel, who worked many years in Japan as a diplomat, emphasized the "peaceful and responsible" management of territorial disputes between China and Japan in the East China Sea. He said the US continues to encourage the diplomatic process to manage the issue in a way that will reduce tensions, reiterating the US stance of not taking sides on sovereignty issues.

However, in China, many see the US stance on the territorial disputes in both the East China Sea and South China Sea as biased in favor of allies Japan and the Philippines.