Premier Li Says China Doesn’t Want Cold War, U.S. Decoupling

(Bloomberg) --

China’s Premier Li Keqiang struck a conciliatory tone with the U.S., saying that the two sides should cooperate and respect each other’s interests as tensions escalate on many fronts.

As he spoke, the New York Times reported that President Donald Trump’s administration plans to cancel the visas of thousands of graduate students and researchers in the U.S. with direct ties to universities affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army.

“We have all along rejected a cold war mentality. Decoupling between the two economies will do neither side any good and will also be harmful to the world,” Li told reporters during his annual news briefing on the sidelines of National People’s Congress meetings in Beijing on Thursday.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have risen over the last several months as they traded blows over a range of issues from the coronavirus to trade. The latest confrontation has centered on Beijing’s move to impose a national security law on Hong Kong, leading the U.S. to say it could no longer certify the city’s autonomy from China in a move that could trigger sanctions.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on Sunday that some in America were pushing relations to a “new Cold War,” and urged the U.S. to give up its “wishful thinking” of changing China.

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