China says stable bilateral relations in best interests of China, U.S.

China's foreign ministry said on Friday that steady Sino-U.S. bilateral relations serve the interests of both people, responding to U.S. President Donald Trump's comments that he could cut ties with the world's second-largest economy. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters during a daily briefing that the U.S. needs to cooperate with China in order to achieve stable relations, however.

Relations between Beijing and Washington have deteriorated rapidly in recent months as Trump and other senior U.S. officials grow increasingly critical of China's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak and threaten various punitive measures.