BEIJING (AP) - China appealed to Washington to promote “strategic mutual trust” ahead of President Donald Trump’s release Monday of a national security strategy that is expected to label Beijing a competitor.
The Chinese government had yet to see the report and couldn’t comment on it, said a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying. But she emphasized the importance of U.S.-Chinese cooperation.
“We hope the U.S. national security strategy will play a constructive role to promote world peace and stability and contribute to Chinese-U.S. strategic mutual trust in ensuring world peace and security,” Hua said at a regular news briefing.
U.S. officials told reporters on Sunday the report envisions nations in a perpetual state of competition and de-emphasizes multinational agreements. They said it calls China a “strategic competitor.”
Trump, according to the senior officials, is also expected to discuss threats he will deem “rogue regimes” such as North Korea, and “revisionist powers” including Russia and China, who aim to change the status quo, such as Moscow and its actions with Ukraine and Georgia, and Beijing in the South China Sea.
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