Obama warns China of consequences for its behaviour

“Part of what I’ve talked to communicate to President Xi (Jinping) is that the United States arrives at its power, in part, by restraining itself,” Obama said.

“You know, when we bind ourselves to a bunch of international norms and rules, it’s not because we have to, it’s because we recognise that, over the long-term, building a strong international order is in our interests. And, I think, over the long-term, it will be in China’s interests, as well,” he told CNN in an interview recorded before he left for China to attend the G20 Summit.

“So where we see them violating international rules and norms, as we have seen in some cases in the South China Sea or in some of their behaviour when it comes to economic policy, we’ve been very firm. And we’ve indicated to them that there will be consequences,” Obama said.

What the US has tried to emphasise to China is that if it is working within international rules, then they should be partners, he asserted.

“There is no reason that China and the US cannot be friendly competitors on the commercial side and important partners when it comes to dealing with the many international problems that threaten the two countries,” he said.

Obama noted China has been run during his lifetime by a Communist party that has been “much more anti-Western” in the past. “We went through a period over the course of 20 years, in the ‘90s and on through maybe the onset of my presidency, where, because state-sponsored capitalism and an export-driven model was very successful, China was less interested in making waves,” he said.