中文
BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States is in no position to lecture China or make wanton comments on China, let alone asserting to deal with China "from a position of strength", a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a question regarding U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's upcoming visit to Tianjin.
The United States' repeated assertion to deal with China "from a position of strength" reflects its arrogance and hegemony, he said.
"We did not buy it in Anchorage, nor will we buy it in Tianjin," he added.
In response to U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price's comments that bilateral ties should have "guard rails" so that "competition doesn't veer into conflict", Zhao said the so-called "competition-cooperation-conflict" approach by the United States still defines China as a competitor, provoking confrontation, containing and suppressing China's development.
"This approach does not distinguish between the main and minor aspects of China-U.S. relations, which is not in line with the facts, the fundamental interests of people on both sides, nor the trend of the times. It is fundamentally a zero-sum mentality," he said.
China always believes relations with the United States should be developed on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, rather than benefiting only one party, he said.
The development of China-U.S. relations needs "guard rails", but the "guard rails" should not be defined by the United States unilaterally, he added.
Zhao urged the United States to stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop slandering China or harming its interests, which is "the real guard rails of bilateral ties."
"We will continue to expound China's principles and positions on developing China-U.S. relations and firmly safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests during Sherman's trip to China," he said.
