Revealing his national security strategy earlier this week, the US President claimed “China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity.”
He added the two nations ”are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”
But China has swiftly hit back at the accusation, with Foreign Ministry official Hua Chunying accusing the Republican Firebrand of holding onto a “cold war mentality”.
Calling for cooperation, she said the US and China should “shoulder important responsibilities and have extensive common interests in upholding world peace and stability and promoting global development and prosperity.”
Ms Hua said: ”We urge the U.S. side to stop deliberately distorting China’s strategic intentions, and abandon such outdated concepts as the Cold War mentality and the zero-sum game, otherwise it will only end up harming itself as well as others.
“Cooperation is the only right choice for China and the United States and win-win cooperation can lead to a better future.
“As two major countries, it is not surprising for China and the United States to have some disagreements.
“It is advisable for our two countries to properly handle them in a constructive way on the basis of respecting each other’s core interests and major concerns,”
Former Labour Cabint Minister Lord Peter Mandelson has since warned a change in policy from the US towards China could see Britain negatively impacted.
Lord Mandelson added Xi Jinping’s nation had an “extraordinary long-term vision” while branding Brexit as a “mire” the UK is stuck in while the eastern superpower progresses.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “This is very significant.
“The fact is at the moment, the West sort of sinks into a mire of Trump and Brexit and political populism and anti-globalisation.
“China is coming forward with this extraordinary long-term vision and plan which you rightly call ‘one belt one road’.
“This is not just about massive infrastructure investment along all its supply routes and maritime highways.
“This could very well be the beginning to a parallel global order in the world.
“Why? Because it is potentially building fast trading area. Stretching way beyond its own national borders. You are talking about many economies in the world becoming progressively aligned with that of China.
“You are talking potentially about the emergence of a Chinese currency. We are playing for very very big stakes here and the west I don’t think is currently coming to terms with this or understanding this in the way that it needs to.”
Lord Mandelson added if the US changed their trade strategy and became more skeptical about trade and investment with China it would have a negative impact on the UK “because it would have a very negative impact on the whole of the international trading system”.
“Look I think President Trump is right to describe China as a revisionist power. What it is not is a hegemonic power that is seeking to impose its system on the rest of the world.
“It’s seeking to export goods and capital, not ideology.
“The fact is, with the size of China’s population, it was only a matter of time before its accumulation of technology and capital restored it to the position of economic primacy the country enjoyed before 1800 and for the rest of us we have to come to terms with that.”