Washington, Sep 22 (IANS): A conflict between the US and China is not inevitable, a top American foreign policy official has said.

The US-China relationship is not a zero-sum game as Washington is "steadily and methodically expanding the breadth and depth of cooperation with China", Xinhua quoted Susan Rice as saying on Monday.

"We reject reductive reasoning that says conflict between the US and China is inevitable even as we have been tough with China where we disagree," said Rice, US President Barack Obama's National Security Advisor.

Rice said that under the Obama administration, the US has "deepened engagement with China at every level -- maximising cooperation on areas of mutual interest while confronting and managing disagreements.

"This is not a zero-sum game. Our capacity to manage differences is greater than that," she said.

The US "welcomes a rising China that is peaceful, stable, prosperous and a responsible player in global affairs," Rice said.

"We will continue taking steps to build a productive, cooperative relationship with China that delivers benefits for both our peoples. That's a central pillar of our strategy in Asia," she said.