Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of US Pacific Command, delivers a speech on the Future of the Asian Pacific at Stanford University on Nov 21. Photo provided for China Daily.

The relationship between China and the US is "collaborative, but sometimes competitive", said US Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of the Pacific Command.

Locklear gave a speech titled The Future of the Asian Pacific at Stanford University on Nov 21.

"American policy is more pragmatic, but policy in China is more conceptual; the US doesn't have any powerful conflicting neighbor, but China has never been without one," Locklear said.

"China wants a harmonious Asia and expects a national rejuvenation by 2050," said Locklear, who said that would benefit the entire world.

China's national security development hasn't been extended as far as its economic reach in the world, he said.

Locklear, 60, formerly served as commander of US Naval Forces Europe, US Naval Forces Africa and as NATO's commander of the Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy. His honors include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal with one gold star, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with four gold stars, Bronze Star Medal, and numerous individual, campaign and unit awards, according to the US Pacific Command.

Locklear said that in contrast to China's domestically focused strategy, the US wants to maintain oversight of the Pacific region by strengthening its alliances and partnerships with China, India and other nations.

American power in the Asia-Pacific region has sustained a geopolitical order that has brought stability and prosperity to the region, and China is one of the major beneficiaries, he said.

"We should also be realistic, since problems and existing frictions between the two countries" will not go away on their own. He referred to the dispute about the US' military presence near the coast of China.

"We need to work through it," he said.

Because of the threat of North Korea, the US should be in the region to support its alliances with countries such as South Korea, Locklear said.

US merchant ships also go through the South China Sea every day, which plays a key role in the American economy, Locklear said.

zilian@chinadailyusa.com