China reiterated on Friday that China doesn't intend to surpass the U.S., instead, it only wants to surpass itself and become a better China, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying.
U.S. President Joe Biden held his first formal press briefing at the White House on Thursday, where he said the U.S. seeks "stiff competition with China" and stressed that he is not going to let China become the leading country.
Stating that China's policy towards the U.S. is as consistent and clear as always been, Hua said China is willing to implement the consensuses reached by the leaders of the two countries in their phone call to pursue a sound and stable development of the bilateral ties.
China wishes the U.S. can meet China halfway under the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation, and work jointly to promote the bilateral ties, noted Hua.
The spokesperson said it is not strange to see competition between the two countries given the deep integration of interests, but the key, according to Hua, is to seek a healthy competition instead of a zero-sum game.
Hua called on all countries in the world, including the U.S., to seek cooperation under the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit.
Regarding Biden's comments of requiring China to follow the international rule, Hua refuted the statement by underlining that the world only has one system and one set of rules, namely the UN-centered international system and the basic norms of international relations based on the UN Charter.
China is widely recognized as a model in following the rule while the U.S., on the other hand, is famous for its frequent breach of rules, said Hua.
In response to Biden's comments on democracy and autocracy, the spokesperson defended China's political system by stressing that the key standard to evaluate a political system lies in whether the system is in accordance with the national context, whether the system can facilitate political stability, social progress and livelihood, and gain people's support.
The spokesperson listed China's achievements in poverty eradication, since the country reached its goal 10 years earlier, and the establishment of the world's biggest social security system.
Compared with the U.S. that let half a million people die from the pandemic and other 40,000 from gun violence annually, China has full confidence and pride in the development path it chose, said Hua, adding that the country will continue on that path with firm determination.
