Obama warns China of ‘consequences’ for its behaviour in SCS

From Lalit K Jha Washington, Sep 5 (PTI) Warning China of "consequences"due to its aggressive behaviour, US President Barack Obama hasasked the Communist nation to restrain itself from worryingits neighbours in the disputed South China Sea region. "Part of what I’ve talked to communicate to President Xi(Jinping) is that the United States arrives at its power, inpart, by restraining itself," Obama said. "You know, when we bind ourselves to a bunch ofinternational norms and rules, it’s not because we have to,it’s because we recognise that, over the long-term, building astrong international order is in our interests. And, I think,over the long-term, it will be in China’s interests, as well,"he told CNN in an interview recorded before he left for Chinato attend the G20 Summit. "So where we see them violating international rules andnorms, as we have seen in some cases in the South China Sea orin some of their behaviour when it comes to economic policy,we’ve been very firm. And we’ve indicated to them that therewill be consequences," Obama said. What the US has tried to emphasise to China is that if itis working within international rules and international norms,then they should be partners, he asserted. "There is no reason that China and the US cannot befriendly competitors on the commercial side and importantpartners when it comes to dealing with the many internationalproblems that threaten the two countries," Obama said. Obama noted China has been run during his lifetime by aCommunist party that has been "much more anti-Western" in thepast. "We went through a period over the course of 20 years, inthe ’90s and on through maybe the onset of my presidency,where, because state-sponsored capitalism and an export-drivenmodel was very successful, China was less interested in makingwaves," Obama said. "But, you know, you’ve got over a billion people, one ofthe largest economies now in the world. And so it’s to beexpected that they will want a bigger seat at the table whenit comes to international affairs. And what we’ve saidconsistently is we welcome the peaceful rise of China,consistent with international norms. That’s good foreverybody. An impoverished and collapsing China would bedangerous for everybody," Obama said. PTI LKJ ASK ABH AKJABH