U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People during her visit to China recently. (Photo : Getty Images)
The United States is expecting to boost cooperation with China on counter-terrorism efforts that include information exchanges and bringing stability in other places such as Iraq, according to a senior U.S. administration official.
Reuters reported that China was enraged by a U.S. State Department report released last month, which criticized China for the lack of transparency or information about terrorism-related incidents and for not cooperating fully on counter-terrorism.
China has urged Western countries to help battle local Islamist extremists in the western region of Xinjiang, which is being carried out by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).
Most Western countries however, hesitate to share intelligence information or cooperate with China. They say that China provides insufficient evidence to show that ETIM exists. In addition, they also express their concern on alleged human rights violations being committed in Xinjiang.
At the end of U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice's visit to China, a senior U.S. administration official said during a press conference that some details about the threat of terrorism were discussed during the meeting, including Sino-U.S. cooperation.
"Both sides recognize that we, as many others in the international community do, face a threat from international terrorism," the official said on condition that he remains anonymous.
"We discussed some ways that we could work together to counter that threat. Both in specific areas such as increasing exchanging of information, but also in other ways to contribute to stability in places like Iraq which can also have a positive goal here," he added.
"Certainly, the Chinese did raise their concerns regarding certain organizations like ETIM and both Ambassador Rice and her counterparts had a candid exchange on that as well," the official said.
China has pointed to Islamist militants and separatists as responsible for the death of hundreds of people in Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uyghur people but rights activists also criticize China's repressive policies toward them.
