The United States has to keep China in mind as it is "back to stay" in Asia, Chinese experts said in response to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's latest remarks on bilateral ties.
In her speech on US policy toward the Asia-Pacific region delivered at the East-West Center on the University of Hawaii campus on Tuesday, Clinton said "the US is back in Asia I want to underscore that we are back to stay".
The Asia-Pacific region is a priority for the US, its top diplomat said.
She said: "America's future is inextricably linked to the future of the Asia-Pacific, and the future of this region depends on America.”
Clinton outlined the Obama administration's policy in the region as one that pursues cooperation on a wide range of issues including security, trade and the environment.
Pledging to strengthen Asia-Pacific relationships, Clinton kicked off her 10-day tour to the region from Honolulu, Hawaii.
Clinton will continue the tour to Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia.
China, although not a stop in Clinton's trip this time, has been seen as an unavoidable topic along the way.
Mentioning China five times in her speech, Clinton called for "a relationship that will be a mature one, that will not be knocked off course when we do something or the other does something that we don't agree with", when answering a Chinese student's question about Sino-US ties after her speech.
Tao Wenzhao, an expert of US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said it was no surprise for the US to keep China in mind.
Tao said: "Cooperation with China is indispensable to the US when it faces global challenges"
On the other hand, Tao said the US is "worried about China's rise and seeks to enhance alliance with other countries to contain China".
The alliance mentioned by Tao reference to the one between the US and Japan, the importance of which was stressed when Clinton met her Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada on the same day, talking about the relocation of the Futenma US Marine bases in Okinawa.
