MOFA: China will not be intimidated by anybody

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Right choices and concrete efforts need to be made by both China and the United States to ensure the healthy and stable development of the relationship between the two sides, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

Stressing that the relationship between the two countries is at a "crucial stage," the ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying rejected recent statements by US Vice President Mike Pence at the ASEAN Summit.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Pence demanded China "fundamentally change its behavior" and "offer concessions on several issues" to "avoid an all-out Cold War with the US and its partners."

The US is ramping up efforts to put pressure on China, hoping Beijing will accommodate its demands, yet Beijing has made its stance clear and simple.

"China does not owe anybody anything, does not depend on anybody and more importantly, we will not be intimidated by anybody," the spokesperson said regarding the recent trade tensions with the US, adding that negotiation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual interests is the sole solution.

China respects the territorial sovereignty and interests of the United States, and the US side should do the same, Hua said.

In the interview, Pence also said that "[President Donald] Trump is leaving the door open for a deal with Xi in Argentina," referring to the upcoming meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit to be held in the South American country.

He noted that this only takes place if Beijing is willing to make a slew of concrete concessions, which covers areas including economics, diplomacies and political pressures.

Earlier this month, President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump talked on the phone, both of whom delivering wishes to further expand cooperation in trade and investment.

China hopes the US side can embody such a spirit during the phone call – focusing on cooperation, while ruling out distractions so as to make those wishes come true.