NEW YORK • The Chinese government's top diplomat Wang Yi has said there was "no cause for panic" over friction between Beijing and Washington and that "we can overcome current difficulties".
At a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump accused Beijing of seeking to meddle in the Nov 6 US congressional elections in a bid to stop him and his Republican Party from doing well because of his trade stance.
Mr Wang rejected the charge yesterday. He told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York that concrete actions must be taken to maintain relations between China and the United States, and that "history will remember those who (have) taken the lead in the mist".
The US and China are embroiled in a trade war, sparked by Mr Trump's accusations that China has long sought to steal US intellectual property, limit access to its own market and unfairly subsidise state-owned companies.
Mr Wang yesterday denied that China is stealing technology from US companies, a key finding that has led to the imposition of trade counter-measures by Washington.
"I want to emphasise that China did not copy foreign patents, will not copy foreign patents, and China will not ask others to copy China's patents either," he told the council, a US think-tank.
The Chinese Foreign Minister said his country was fostering closer economic ties with Russia as the two economies were complementary and Moscow and Beijing were on the same page on international issues. He also warned that further cooperation with China was key in pursuing denuclearisation of its ally North Korea.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Mr Trump's June summit meeting in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had laid the groundwork for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
But he told the UN Security Council that until that process is complete, the world must abide by the economic sanctions still in place against the government in Pyongyang, though China and Russia suggested the Security Council consider easing the tough measures.
"We must not forget what's brought us this far: The historic international pressure campaign that this council has made possible through the sanctions that it imposed," Mr Pompeo added.
Mr Wang also said that China has exercised "utmost restraint" in the South China Sea and seeks peaceful solutions. He added that Beijing has sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and that people there feel the need for enhanced defences, given heavy US military patrols.
China, which says its intentions are peaceful, claims most of the South China Sea, through which about US$3 trillion (S$4.1 trillion) worth of trade passes every year.
Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei also claim parts of the sea, which has oil and gas deposits and rich fishing grounds.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was also scheduled to address the general assembly at the UN headquarters yesterday - nearly 15 years after he last spoke at the UN podium - after participating in several high-level UN meetings.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BERNAMA
