ISTANBUL: China on Tuesday called for a “new starting point” in ties with Washington under newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump, state media reported.
Beijing is “willing to work with the new US administration… in line with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, maintaining communication, strengthening cooperation, properly managing differences, and driving greater progress in China-US relations from a new starting point,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in the Chinese capital.
Guo was responding to questions about whether Beijing will invite Trump to visit China.
Donald Trump returned to the White House on Monday for his non-consecutive second term.
Notably, relations between the world’s two largest economies deteriorated under the first term of Trump which saw a trade war.
However, ahead of his inauguration, Trump boasted of his relations with China’s President Xi Jinping, calling him an “amazing guy” and that China and the US can together solve “all of the problems of the world.”
Guo, the spokesman, said the essence of China-US economic and trade cooperation “is mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.”
“Maintaining stable development of China-US economic and trade relations aligns with the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples, and is also beneficial for the development of the global economy,” he said, adding Beijing was “willing to strengthen dialogue.”
Earlier today, he said Beijing was “concerned” over the US move to exit the Paris agreement on climate.
Soon after his inauguration on Monday, Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement.
He also signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The WHO has played a central and coordinating role in global health governance … China will, as always, support [it] in fulfilling its duties, deepen international public health cooperation, strengthen global health governance and promote the building of a human health community,” said Guo.
