China voiced hope today Donald Trump's sudden firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will not impact bilateral relations or planned talks between the US president and North Korea's leader.
Beijing is believed to have a positive assessment of Tillerson, who was seen as a light touch in contrast to Trump's "good cop, bad cop" routine of slamming Beijing on Twitter while simultaneously flattering its leadership in person.
"We hope that this personnel change will at the least not have any effect on the development of Sino-US bilateral relations or Sino-US cooperation in some important areas," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters at a regular press briefing.
The firing comes as Trump prepares for delicate talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
Lu said China hopes that the US "can maintain the positive situation that has recently developed on the Korean peninsula, including the positive desire shown by both the American and North Korean sides for willing, direct talks."
"We appreciated Mr Tillerson's efforts to promote the development of Sino-US relations," Lu said, adding "we hope that Mr Tillerson will continue to care for and support the development of Sino-US relations in the future."
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