China on Thursday said there is no benefit in any rhetoric or act that plays up geopolitical conflict or major power competition in response to the latest National Security Strategy of the United States.

In a 48-page document released on Wednesday, the White House claimed that China "presents America's most consequential geopolitical challenge."

At a regular press briefing in Beijing, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the Chinese side has noted the U.S. report.

"We oppose the outdated Cold War mentality and zero-sum mindset," said Mao. "We see no benefit in any rhetoric or act that plays up geopolitical conflict or major power competition, for they go against the trend of the times and the aspiration of the international community. They are not going to be welcomed and will not succeed."

The spokesperson said China's development is fundamentally about the happiness of the people and the rejuvenation of the nation.

"China has always been a force for world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order, a provider of public goods and part of the mediation efforts on hot spot issues," she said. "This is the reality known to the international community."

Noting that China and the U.S. are, respectively, the biggest developing country and the biggest developed country with a responsibility of preserving world peace and stability and promoting economic prosperity and development, Mao said the two countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.

She urged the U.S. to follow the principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, follow through on President Joe Biden's "five-noes" commitment and work with China to bring China-U.S. relations back onto the track of sound and steady development.

Biden has said that the U.S. does not seek a new Cold War with China, does not aim to change China's system, does not support "Taiwan independence," that the revitalization of its alliance is not targeted at China and has no intention to seek a conflict with China.

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(Cover: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular press conference in Beijing, China, October 13, 2022. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)