Beijing, Sep 6 (IANS): China does not want the US to perish nor does it want to dominate Asia, said a state-run Chinese daily, warning that if America launched a bid for strategic containment of China it would be strategic choice that it "could not bear".

As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concluded her visit to China Wednesday, an editorial in the Global Times said: "Having a solid understanding of the two powers is critical for the future of regional politics in the Asia-Pacific region."

Admitting that China-US relations have hit a rough patch in recent times, it noted: "The US `pivot to Asia' and `smart power diplomacy' have pushed the strategic mistrust between the two to an apex, leading to many pessimistic predictions. An implacable strategic rivalry between China and the US has seemingly begun."

It added that there are also those within the regional political arena "who seek to use diplomacy to reap the spoils of the conflict between the two".

The daily said that US and China harbour strategic suspicions toward each other, but both behave cautiously when taking concrete actions.

The editorial said that the power of the US is declining and hence has "less space and resources to manipulate this relationship at will".

"It would be incredible if the US focused its national strength on East Asia and launched a bid for strategic containment of China. This would be costly and have no benefit for the US.

"Such a strategic choice would be one that the US could not bear," the daily warned.

It went on to say that the most important thing is that China is developing in a stable manner.

"It does not want the US to perish, nor does it want to dominate Asia."

It added that China just wants to continue its development and "solve its territorial disputes in a reasonable fashion with the relevant countries".