(Yicai Global) March 5 -- China does not want to wage a trade war with the US, but it will not sit back and watch its interests harmed, either, Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the National People's Congress, said in a news briefing on yesterday, China's state Xinhua News Agency reported.

China-US relations are among the most important bilateral relations in the world today. To maintain their steady development is not only in the fundamental interests of the two nations and their peoples but also the universal expectation of the international community. Ties between the two countries have made historic development and brought many tangible benefits to both peoples since the establishment of diplomatic relations between them 39 years ago. The two nations also share a broad common interest in safeguarding world peace and promoting common development in the current international situation, he added.

The convergent interests of the two countries are far greater than their divergencies and cooperation is the only right choice for both sides. China-US economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial and the trade volume between the two countries is huge. Bilateral trade exceeded USD580 billion, so for some friction to arise is unsurprising China does not want a trade war with the US, but it will not sit back and see its interests harmed.

The right way to deal with economic and trade frictions is to open one another's markets to each other to increase market share and find solutions that both sides can accept through dialog and consultation. China and the US have been in talks on economic and trade issues. Both have agreed that they will continue to communicate on relevant issues in Beijing soon to create conditions for further cooperation between the two countries in the next step, he said.

China and the US have different social systems, histories and cultures and stages of development. For both sides to have different views or even differences on some issues is normal. However, these differences do not necessarily have to lead to confrontation. The key is that both sides should objectively and accurately view each other's strategic intentions and grasp the development direction of their relations. If policies are formulated based on wrong judgments or assumptions, ties between them will be strained, leading to consequences neither wishes to see.

China is willing to work with its counterpart to earnestly implement the important consensus reached and achievements gained by Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at their Beijing talks, insisting on mutual respect, enhancing strategic mutual trust, avoiding strategic misjudgment, focusing on mutually-beneficial cooperation and properly controlling differences to ensure bilateral ties continue to move forward along the right track.