China will adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and norms governing international relations in handling state-to-state relations, including cooperation and competition, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Monday.

"While pursuing own interests, one needs to accommodate the interests of others, one should learn to put himself into the shoes of others," he told a press conference in the Great Hall of the People. [More about FM press conference]

"One should not advance its interests at the cost of others, still less create confrontation by setting up hypothetical confrontation," he added.

Drawing on each other's strength and pursuing win-win cooperation have been the mainstream of China's relations with other countries, he said.

Competition should be viewed with an open and inclusive mind and conducted on equal and fair terms, the official said.

China opposes politicizing trade issues and rejects double standards and discrimination, he stressed.

Yang called for benign competition with the purpose of seeking mutual benefits and win-win results.

China's development offers a broader space for its cooperation with other countries and will step up its mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries in order to enhance their shared interests, according to Yang.

China has taken experimental steps to work with developed countries in carrying out cooperation in a third country. Of course the cooperation has to seek the consent and support of the host country first, he said.