China urges US to drop Cold War mentality after Trump’s ‘rival’ comment

China has called on the US to drop what it terms a “Cold War mentality and zero-sum ideology” after President Donald Trump described Beijing as a rival in his State of the Union address.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chuying said common interests outweigh any differences between the sides, and the US should view the relationship “correctly”.

China’s 275 billion dollar (£195 billion) trade surplus with the US has been a constant source of tension between the countries, alongside their growing rivalry for military supremacy in Asia and accusations of intellectual property theft.

In in his address, Mr Trump warned of the dangers from “rogue regimes” like Iran and North Korea, terrorist groups such as the Islamic State, and “rivals” like China and Russia, which he said challenge US interests, values and economic wellbeing.

Meanwhile, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said the people of Iran will continue supporting the Islamic Republic despite foreign pressure, after Mr Trump appealed to “the people of Iran” and their “courageous struggle for freedom”.

The US president said America stands with the people of Iran against the country’s ruling establishment.

Speaking during a visit to the mausoleum of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini – the founder of the Islamic Republic – Mr Rouhani said: “The Iranian nation will never give up Imam Khomeini’s legacy; Islamism and Republicanism. Return is impossible.”

During his State of the Union address, Mr Trump called the Islamic Republic a “corrupt dictatorship” and said “America stands with the people of Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom.”

South Korean analysts said Mr Trump’s fiery comments on North Korea reflected confidence that his campaign of pressure and sanctions on the country is working.

Experts said it also means Washington will continue to deny Pyongyang meaningful dialogue unless it is willing to discuss serious changes to its nuclear weapons programme and human rights conditions.

Du Hyeogn Cha, a visiting scholar at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said it will have hurt North Korea to hear Mr Trump declare the country as a regime that cannot co-exist with the founding values of the US.

Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Dongguk University and a security adviser to South Korea’s presidential office, said Mr Trump likely saw North Korea’s outreach over the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as a clear sign that pressure and sanctions are working.