Competition between China and the United States is inevitable, but it must be healthy, said Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng.

In an interview with The Associated Press, he said the U.S. and China are the world’s two largest economies and they must find common ground and settle relations. Therefore, Beijing does not like the approach of Washington, which sees the PRC as a “serious competitor.

Nevertheless, China has noticed certain positive developments under Joe Biden’s accession to power in the United States. The PRC Foreign Ministry’s website has published the interview.

At present the two sides at the working level have begun to work actively to implement the agreements reached at the end of their dialogue,” Yucheng said.

That can help the two countries’ relations because they “have a special responsibility to the whole world,” the diplomat said. He also urged his U.S. colleagues to avoid confrontation, especially artificial confrontation.

Earlier, the U.S. and China adopted a joint statement on climate. The countries will act within the framework of the Paris Agreement, the State Department said. The document, which outlines ways Washington and Beijing can fight climate change, was agreed upon after a meeting in Shanghai between the U.S. president’s special envoy on climate, John Kerry, and his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua.