U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick did not falter when asked repeatedly during his China visit about the real meaning of the word "stakeholder". On the contrary, he says he is "very pleased" to see a small word can trigger such a big discussion about bilateral relations.

"The fact that it does not have a clear definition in Chinese has actually been positive from my point of view, because it led to a debate about what the concept should be," Zoellick said in a media round table meeting Wednesday in Chengdu, capital city of the southwestern province of Sichuan.

In a speech in New York on Sept. 21, 2005, Zoellick proposed that the United States step up efforts to make China a "responsible stakeholder" in the international system.

To many experts in international studies, the United States was to set a standard by which the two nations can work together on global issues.

Zoellick said he was very encouraged that China has played a positive role in issues like Iraq and Afghanistan, suggesting that China could continue to "play a very positive role in the international system."

However, he stressed a "stakeholder" concept does not mean the two countries are in agreement on all topics, adding that the United States has never taken identical views with any country on all topics.

"So we use this (stakeholder) system to manage some of the issues (where there are differences)," Zoellick said.

Quite a few political analysts believe that Zoellick's China visit at the very start of the year is a strong signal that the United States values China's role in world affairs, especially in issues like Iran's disputed nuclear program and the upcoming new round of six-party talks.

Zoellick said he understood the view of some experts that by calling China a "stakeholder", the United States overemphasized the international responsibilities it wants China to shoulder, but neglected the fact that China is still a developing country and is facing many challenges on the road of development.

The success of China's economic development and the challenges generated by the economic leap forward cannot help influencing the international system in both a positive and a negative way, Zoellick said, adding that the purpose of his China tour was to discuss these issues and that he is very pleased with the response from China.

Zoellick, who arrived in Beijing Monday evening for a three-day visit,said he had "good discussions" with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and other senior officials in the morning. They exchanged views on a wide range of topics including bilateral ties, trade, economic and energy cooperation and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

China is the second leg of Zoellick's three-nation tour, which started in Japan and will end in Switzerland.

Source: Xinhua