BEIJING, July 27 -- China adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and is committed to peaceful and cooperative development, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Thursday.
Lu made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo's comments.
According to reports, Pompeo branded China, Russia and Iran as major future threats to the United States, and singled out China as the most serious security challenge due to its "robust economy" and "growing military power." He also said that Chinese spies have been cyberspying to gain both commercial and military secrets and technology from the United States.
"In his logic, whoever poses the strongest economic and military power becomes the biggest threat to the world," Lu said.
He said that China would neither threaten or undermine another country's interests, nor allow other countries to threaten or undermine its own interests.
The key to this issue is to see relations between countries from the perspective of building a community of shared destiny and abandon the zero-sum game mentality of the Cold War, Lu said.
"As to China-U.S. relations, cooperation is the only correct choice for both countries," said Lu, adding that according to the consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, China and United States should uphold the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and make sure relations between the two countries stay on a healthy and stable track.
Lu said that Chinese companies taking over U.S. companies is a normal commercial activity, and he believed that Americans would not do things to undermine the interests of their companies.
China strongly opposes any kind of cyberspying and has set strict rules to prevent cyberattacks, said Lu, adding that China is willing to cooperate with the international community, including the United States, to build a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace.