China and the United States should develop their relations through cooperation rather than decoupling, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S. on August 23, 2020. (Photo from CGTN)

At a regular press briefing, Zhao criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's comments that the American economy could be decoupled from China. "We don't have to" do business with China, Trump said in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday.
Zhao said China-U.S. cooperation has benefited both sides since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than four decades ago. The two countries' development is not mutually exclusive, but mutually beneficial, he said, calling for cooperation instead of decoupling.

China and the U.S. should also jointly shoulder responsibilities for the world, he added.

Describing globalization as a reality of the times, he stressed that no single country can deal with various challenges alone, particularly in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and in the efforts for economic recovery.
Attempting to solve problems that a country faces by decoupling will not work – it will eventually harm the interests of the country's enterprises and people, he warned.
The spokesperson urged certain U.S. politicians to view and manage relations with China correctly and stop harming China's interests or smearing China.

Commenting on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent attacks on the Communist Party of China (CPC), Zhao said Washington is solely for the serious difficulties in bilateral ties, slamming certain U.S. politicians for unilaterally stirring up tensions and sabotaging relations with China.
As the ruling Party of China, the CPC aims to realize the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation and help the Chinese people and people in the rest of the world live a better life, he stressed.
China will never seek hegemony, but it is not afraid of any big power, he said. China is willing to make joint efforts with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind on the basis of equality and mutual respect, he added.