"China", wrote Condoleezza Rice when George Bush was first running for the American presidency, "resents the role of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region". During a visit to China as part of an Asian tour in her new role as secretary of state, she diplomatically avoided such bluntness, remarking instead that America and China shared common interests in regional and global stability. But on two of the region's paramount security issues, North Korea and Taiwan, Ms Rice did not find the Chinese all that helpful. She made clear that America was growing impatient with the lack of progress in the Chinese-hosted six-way dialogue on North Korea's nuclear programme that also includes South Korea, Japan and Russia. On March 21st, at the end of her six-nation trip, she told reporters in Beijing that America remained "committed" to the talks, even though North Korea is now refusing to participate. But she also said that if North Korea remained obdurate, "we will have to look at other options"
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