US welcomes a prosperous China: under secretary of state

US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Wednesday that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact will benefit China and that the US welcomes a prosperous China.

Sherman made the remarks in a press conference in Beijing on the last day of her three-day visit to China, responding to a question concerning comments made earlier by President Barack Obama, who said that the US must write the trade rules for Asia.

"I think what the president is talking about is that we're very focused now on trying to complete the TPP," Sherman said, also saying that the TPP will benefit the entire region including China.

She said that the TPP is not specifically about China but added that "There is no doubt we want and welcome a prosperous China."

However, Wang Sheng, an international politics analyst with Jilin University, said that the US-led TPP, which does not include China, will pose trade barriers to China more than it benefits the country.

Under pressure from the TPP, China has explored other potential trade pacts in the Asia-Pacific region, and this could also be counted among the "benefits" that the TPP has brought, said Zhou Fangyin, a Northeast Asia expert at Tsinghua University.

But Sherman's words softened many observers' perceptions of Obama's comments, which made many believe that the US would not like to see the rise of China and wants to contain it, according to Zhou.

Her visit reflects continuing high-level US engagement with China and the importance of strengthening bilateral ties, said the spokesperson for the US Department of State.

Sherman will continue her trip to Asia after leaving China, visiting Seoul and Tokyo.