Decoupling of China, US would harm both sides, world: Premier Li

The decoupling of China and the United States, two major economies, will do neither side any good, and it is also harmful to the world, Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday.

Speaking at the news conference following the closing of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress, the top legislature, Li underlined the significance of using wisdom to deal with this complex relationship.

"At the moment, China-US relations have encountered some new problems and challenges," Li said, but also noting that there are many areas where the two countries can and should work with each other on tackling both traditional and non-traditional challenges.

He said that the economies of the two countries have become closely interconnected and both sides have benefited tremendously as bilateral economic and trade ties have come a long way.

"I believe economic cooperation and trade between our two countries should continue to follow business rules. We should leave the decisions to the market and entrepreneurs," he said.

Noting that China-US ties concern the interests of people in both countries as well as the whole world, Li said that any problem that occurs in this relationship will be a cause of concern for the international community.

The premier said that differences, disagreements and even frictions are unavoidable given the two countries' differences in terms of social systems, cultural heritage and historical backgrounds.

"What's important is how we manage these disagreements and differences," he said, noting that the bilateral relationship has been moving forward in the past decades amid twists and turns.

The two countries should develop their relationship on the basis of equality, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and embrace cooperation that will be conducive to both countries and the world, he said.