Dhaka, Nov 21 (PTI) America's top diplomat in Bangladesh said on Monday that the US does not force countries to choose sides over relations with Beijing as "we don't expect every country to have the exact same assessment of China as we do".

US Ambassador Peter Haas also said that US diplomacy is based on partnership and respect for each other's interests.

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"Let me be clear. This is not about forcing countries to choose. It's about giving them a choice,” he said while speaking at a panel discussion at the 'Bay of Bengal Conversation 2022' here.

"We don't expect every country to have the exact same assessment of China as we do," he said, adding that Washington does not force countries to choose sides.

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"China is also integral to the global economy and our ability to solve challenges from climate to COVID-19. Put simply, the United States and China must deal with each other for the foreseeable future,” the envoy added.

The ambassador quoted President Joe Biden's recent UNGA address to explain the US stance over China when Biden said, "we do not seek a Cold War" in reference to China.

Biden last week met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and asked the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit Beijing to keep lines of communications open.

According to Haas, the Russian actions currently appeared as the “most pressing strategic challenge” for the US vision for an “open, interconnected prosperous, secure and resilient Indo-pacific”.

"If Putin stops fighting, the turmoil ends. (But) If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends,” Haas said.

The ambassador, on the other hand, said “China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomacy, military and technological power to do it".

"Last week, President Biden made it clear to President Xi that the United States is not looking for conflict but to manage competition responsibly,” he said.

Haas, however, pointed out peoples' suffering all over the world to cope with the effects of shared problems that cross borders -- whether it is climate change, food insecurity, communicable diseases, or inflation -- as the second challenge for the US.

"These shared challenges are not secondary to geopolitics. They are at the very core of national and international security and must be treated as such,” he observed.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)