China on Monday called on the U.S. side to treat China and Sino-U.S. ties in an objective way and promote the healthy development of bilateral ties.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made the remarks after U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin claimed to foster a "credible deterrence" against China ahead of his visit to Japan and South Korea.

China is always a builder of global peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order, reiterated Zhao.

In an era of globalization, forming "cliques" with ideologies and targeting specific countries undermines international order and will lead nowhere, said Zhao.