China calls on Asia-Pacific countries to contribute to regional peace, prosperity

BEIJING - China called on countries in the Asia- Pacific region to contribute to the peace, stability and common prosperity in the region, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday in response to the just-ended week-long Asian trip by US President Barack Obama.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a daily press briefing that China believed that countries concerned should do more to enhance trust and cooperation, and promote peace and common prosperity among countries in the region, "rather than the reverse."

"We should let the Pacific always be pacific," Qin said.

He added that China has already made clear its stances on China-related issues in Obama's Asian trip.

China holds that it is in line with all parties' interests and needs all parties' efforts to safeguard the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, Qin said.

The people in the Asia-Pacific region have the grounds to require all deals signed with the United States to accord with the above-mentioned principle, and not to undermine the trust between countries in the region and peace and stability of the region, he said.

Last Friday, China expressed grave concerns over a US-Japan joint statement which stated that the disputed Diaoyu Islands between Japan and China fall under the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, urging the two countries to discard their Cold War mindset and respect the interests and concerns of other countries in the region.

Obama left Manila on Tuesday, ending a four-nation Asia trip which also took him to Japan, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia.

Obama's trip to the four Asian countries is part of Washington' s efforts to reassure allies of US pivot to Asia-Pacific strategy.