CHINA and the United States share more mutual benefits than differences and cooperation is the only right option for both countries, said a spokesman for the annual session of China’s national legislature yesterday.

The stable development of Sino-U.S. ties serves the fundamental interests of people of both countries and is much anticipated by the international community, Zhang Yesui, former Chinese ambassador to the United States and spokesperson for the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), told a press conference in Beijing.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States would impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent for aluminum, raising concerns of escalating trade tension between the two countries.

“China doesn’t want a trade war with the United States, but if any U.S. moves hurt China’s interests, we will not sit idle,” said Zhang.

Zhang pointed out that certain frictions are natural given the huge bilateral trading volume, while economic and trade ties between the countries are essentially mutually beneficial.

It’s normal for China and the United States to have different ideas on certain issues, but such differences do not necessarily lead to confrontation, Zhang said.

The right approach is to open up market to each other, make the pie of cooperation bigger and work together to find solutions acceptable to both parties through dialogue and consultation, Zhang added.

Liu He, a senior Chinese economic and financial official, met with U.S. counterparts last week and they have agreed that the two countries should settle their trade disputes by cooperation rather than confrontation.

The two sides also agreed to talk about related issues in Beijing in the near future, in a bid to create conditions for further cooperation.

It’s imperative for the two countries to perceive each other’s strategic intentions objectively and accurately. Policies formed by misjudgment or wrong presumption will hurt relations and bring about consequences neither side wants to see, he said.

The first session of the 13th National People’s Congress opens today and will last 15 and a half days.

Apart from the reviewing of reports including a government work report, NPC deputies will deliberate on a draft revision to China’s Constitution, a draft supervision law, and an institutional reform plan of the State Council.

The plan, an important part of the reform program regarding the Party and State institutions, will be deliberated March 13 at the fourth plenary meeting of the NPC session.

“The goal of reform is to establish a Party and State institutional function system that is well conceived, fully built, procedure based, and efficiently functioning,” Zhang said.

The deputies will also elect and decide on members of State organs. The session will conclude March 20.

On Saturday, China’s top political advisory body started its annual session in Beijing, at which 2,149 political advisers gathered to discuss major political, economic, and social issues.

(Xinhua)