BEIJING - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is actively courting China to partner it in civilian outreach and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, a senior NATO official has said.

"I do not consider China as a threat; I think we should develop a partnership with China with the aim to solve problems like the one in AfghanistanThe first step could be to organize a political dialogue on a regular basis," Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's Secretary-General, said in an interview to Phoenix TV.

The interview came just ahead of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's ongoing trip to Beijing to strengthen bilateral relations and economic cooperation. The NATO chief said he would follow Karzai's visit carefully.