BEIJING – China hailed on Tuesday the death of Osama bin Laden in a
U.S. raid while defending its regional partner Pakistan against accusations it
had done too little against terror threats.
Beijing and Washington have gone through bouts of friction over Taiwan and
Tibet, regional security and most recently China's clampdown on dissent and
human rights activists.
China showed no appetite, however, for turning the U.S. raid that killed bin
Laden on Pakistani soil into a point of dispute.
"We have noted the announcement and believe that this is a major event and a
positive development in the international struggle against terrorism," Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said about the White House's announcement that bin
Laden, the al Qaeda leader who orchestrated the September 11 attacks, was killed
in a U.S. raid, Chinese newspapers reported on Tuesday.
Next week, officials from China and the United States meet in Washington for
a Strategic and Economic Dialogue, annual talks to help manage disagreements
over trade, currency issues and foreign policy.
But the Chinese spokeswoman, Jiang, made a point of standing by Pakistan,
Beijing's closest partner in south Asia, which has faced criticism from U.S.
lawmakers and others that the discovery of bin Laden hiding so close to
Islamabad showed Pakistan had done too little to fight terror threats.
That criticism has raised the possibility of a widened rift between
Washington and Islamabad.
"Pakistan stands at the forefront of the international struggle against
terrorism," Jiang told a regular news conference, after her initial statement on
bin Laden had appeared.
"The Pakistani government's determination to fight terrorism is staunch and
its actions have been vigorous. Pakistan has made important contributions to the
international struggle against terror," she said.
"China will continue staunchly supporting Pakistan developing and
implementing its own anti-terror strategy based on its own national
conditions." Reuters
