US reaction in Asia 'out of proportion', says China envoy

The US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region is out of proportion to the security threat facing the region, China's top envoy to Washington said on the eve of high-level talks between the countries that start today.

In a interview with CNN International's Christiane Amanpour, Cui Tiankai said threats in Asia-Pacific centred around North Korea's nuclear programme. But he said the United States should not use the issue to boost its military presence throughout the region.

"I don't think the US should overreact to such a threat," Cui said, adding that the strengthening of US military alliances were "not quite in proportion to the real threat", so people in the region had reason to question Washington's intentions.

The interview aired ahead of the Sino-US strategic and economic dialogue in Washington, in which top officials will discuss issues, including regional security, that were a source of friction between the two powers.

During the talks, the US is expected to urge Beijing to exert pressure on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear programme. Cui said denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was a national security concern for Beijing. But he argued that maintaining regional stability would be defeated if sides resorted to armed conflict.

Cui also sounded dubious about Washington's claims that it has not taken sides in Beijing and Tokyo's dispute over the Diaoyu islands, which Japan calls the Senkakus, in the East China Sea. US officials have said they consider the islands part of the territory covered under its defence pact with Japan.