WASHINGTON: Countries, who have relationship with China or want one, are going to be in a bad place, said Derek Chollet, a senior adviser to the US Secretary of State.
Senior adviser to the US Secretary of State, however, contends Washington doesn’t demand Pakistan to choose between US and China.
“Washington is not afraid of competing with China but will like to have a fair competition.” Counselor Chollet said in an interview with Daily Dawn.
Mr Chollet also denied former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegations of US involvement in toppling his government, terming the claims completely baseless.
“What we want to stay focused on is where we are going in the US-Pakistan relationship, to reflect on all that we have achieved in 75 years but also all that we must achieve in the coming 75 years.” He added.
In a question regarding rocky relations between Pakistan and US in the past, Mr Chollet said: “We are interested in diversifying the relationship even further. We already have a fairly strong and robust business relationship. But I think that is something that we are interested in growing further.”
He further said Pakistan is one of the world’s largest Muslim countries. It has the fifth or sixth largest population. It is a critically important country to the US.
Over the perception of US giving preferential treatment to India over Pakistan, for instance, Washington allows it to purchase cheap oil from Russia while preventing Pakistan from doing so, Counselor Chollet said “We do have honest differences with both countries. What matters is how we work through those differences,” he said. “Our relationship with each country stands on its own. And we have much that we share with both countries.”
He admitted that the US had a concern about China globally. “In South Asia and in East Asia, in Southeast Asia, all around the world, China is playing a role that in many cases is not consistent with what we think our interests are,” he said.
The US official also said US will continue to assist flood relief efforts in Pakistan, adding that the Biden administration already announced $30 million in assistance and was willing to do more
