China has no intention to pick a fight with the U.S., neither in diplomacy, the media or any other field, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday during a video conference with the U.S. Asia Society. 

Wang called for cooperation between the world's two largest economies, adding that China's stance on working with the U.S. remains stable and consistent. 

"China-U.S. relations have never been a zero-sum game, and the success of either party is not at the expense of the failure of the other party," he said.

More than 100 participants, including members of the Asia Society and members of the U.S. strategic sector, attended the event.

China-U.S. ties at lowest point

The Chinese foreign minister noted that the U.S. interfered in China's internal affairs on a series of issues and damaged China's interests, which have pushed bilateral relations to their lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations 41 years ago.

He said the downward spiral of China-U.S. relations goes against the interests of both sides as well as those of the international community.

Noting that the international order and relations have been severely impacted by hegemonism, protectionism and unilateralism, Wang said China and the U.S. should "adopt correct mutual perception toward each other, conform with the trend of the times, heed the call from the international community, and shoulder due responsibilities as major countries."

China has been committed to an independent foreign policy of peace, Wang said, adding China has no intention to compete for hegemony, meddle in other countries' internal affairs, or export its systems and development model, let alone seek the so-called sphere of influence.

U.S.'s strategic miscalculations over China

In spite of China's earnest efforts to build China-U.S. relations on the basis of coordination, cooperation and stability, some U.S. politicians have made a series of strategic miscalculations over China-related issues, Wang pointed out.

He said they have neglected broad common interests and room for cooperation, smeared the Communist Party of China with ideological bias, attempted to bring China down to its knees via extreme pressure, and sought for an anti-China coalition on the international stage.

The goal of China-U.S. engagement is not to mold the other in one's own image, still less to defeat the other side, but to seek and expand common interests, Wang stressed. 

The Chinese foreign minister also underlined that it would not be "achievable" if the U.S.'s China policy were to "remodel or even subvert China."

"It is important that the U.S. policy toward China returns to objectivity and sensibility as early as possible," Wang said.

'No winners in trade war'

The Chinese foreign minister also urged the U.S. side to stop overstretching the notion of national security and the arbitrary suppression of Chinese companies, while calling those actions "long-arm jurisdiction."

"There are no winners in trade wars, which only hurt both sides," Wang said. "What has happened proves that pressuring others with tariffs would only boomerang."

He said that anything related to trade issues should be solved through "dialogue and consultation" instead of "confrontation and sanctions."

"We hope the United States can work with China to rebuild a strategic framework for the stable and sound development of bilateral ties, with mutual respect as the premise, enhanced dialogue and consultation as the approach, deepened integration of interests as the driving force, and solid foundation of public opinion as the support," Wang said.

He also called on the two sides to address some prominent issues in a constructive way. 

Wang said China and the U.S. should respect each other's choices about national systems and development paths, refrain from interfering in each others' internal affairs and turn frictions into cooperation over maritime issues, and cancel a series of restrictions on people-to-people exchanges as soon as possible. 

Australia should consider whether China is a threat or a partner

Wang during the meeting also answered questions on China's relations with Australia amid the sharp decline in bilateral ties, urging the Australian side to seriously consider whether it treats China as a threat or a partner.

"If Australia sees China as a threat, how can China-Australia relations be improved? If Australia sees China as a partner, we will have the basic premise for dialogue and cooperation."

Noting that China and Australia are both members of the Asia-Pacific family, the Chinese foreign minister said the two countries have maintained close exchanges from all walks of life, and the two countries' economies are highly complementary, which also brings benefits to both sides.

The current difficult situation in China-Australia relations is not what China wants to see, Wang said, adding that China has heard too many negative voices and seen various negative moves from the Australian side in the past two years, which will naturally affect the atmosphere of bilateral relations and the enthusiasm of cooperation and exchanges.

He hopes that China-Australia relations can return to a normal and healthy development track.

(With input from Xinhua)