A senior US official Monday denied that America's relationship with China was crippled by tension, after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao bluntly blamed Washington for weeks of public rows.
"We have a mature relationship with China … I think the relationship is in good shape," said President Barack Obama's senior director for Asian affairs Jeff Bader, following weeks of discord over currency, Tibet and Taiwan.
"We have a number of differences, and we are talking about them. I would not describe it as a relationship of tension."
Bader was speaking to reporters to preview Obama's second visit to the Asia-Pacific region as president next week, a trip to Guam, Indonesia and Australia that was delayed over the political battle over health care reform.
Asked whether recent arguments between Beijing and Washington would cast a shadow over Obama's attempts to reinvigorate the US role in Asia, Bader said it would be impossible to go to Asia and not talk about China.
On Sunday, Wen hit out with outspoken criticism of the United States, blaming Washington for recent tensions and calling on the Obama administration to take steps to repair the damage.
Wen accused Washington of violating China's sovereignty when it approved the sale of billions of dollars in weapons to Taiwan in January, and again when Obama met the Dalai Lama at the White House last month.
Relations have also deteriorated over a series of other issues — Google's threat to leave China over cyberattacks and web censorship, a string of trade disputes, and the value of the Chinese yuan.
Wen, addressing hundreds of reporters at the end of China's annual session of parliament, said relations between the world's biggest and third-largest economies "got off to a good start" after Obama took office in January 2009.
But Washington's moves on self-ruled Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory, and Obama's meeting with Tibet's exiled spiritual leader had "violated China's sovereignty" and provoked "serious disturbances" in ties.
"The responsibility does not lie with the Chinese side but with the US," Wen said.
Washington has led calls for a stronger yuan, saying the currency is kept intentionally low to boost Chinese exports.
Obama last week said that a more market-oriented exchange rate for the yuan would help rebalance with world economy after the deep economic crisis.
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