China plays down tough talk by Trump choice for top diplomat
BEIJING — China on Thursday stressed mutual respect and co-operation with the U.S. in response to tough talk from Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, who said the administration would block Chinese access to its fortified man-made islands in the South China Sea.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said tensions in the strategically vital waterway had lessened and countries from outside the region should support efforts toward stability.
China-U.S. relations are based on “non-confrontation, non-conflict, mutual benefit and win-win co-operation,” Lu said at a daily briefing.
“If you take a look at (Chinese) President Xi Jinping’s call with Donald Trump after he won the election, you can see that the two countries do respect each other, and we agree with him that we should develop our relations based on mutual respect,” he said.