China said today that it hopes for “peaceful coexistence” with the United States, reported France Press, quoted by BTA.
Beijing's position was announced in the context of expectations for an election victory of Donald Trump over Kamala Harris, notes AFP.
"We will continue to approach and manage China-US relations based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
Mao did not specifically comment on the possibility of Trump being re-elected. "We respect the choice of the American people,” she added.
The topic of Trump's possible victory was among the most discussed on the Chinese social network "Weibo" (Weibo).
Both Trump and Harris campaigned on promises to get tough on Beijing, with Trump even pledging 60% tariffs on all Chinese goods imported into the US.
Analysts expect that if Trump wins this week, China's parliament will approve an even bigger economic stimulus package than originally planned.
Although Beijing usually avoids commenting on elections in other countries, China objected to placing it at the center of the US election campaign as a key opponent.
During his first term, Donald Trump launched a bitter trade war with China, imposing high tariffs on Chinese goods over controversial Chinese practices such as alleged theft of American technology and currency manipulation.
Under his successor, Joe Biden, relations have reached their lowest point in decades after Washington imposed new tariffs on Chinese electric cars, batteries and photovoltaics.