China’s Li Says U.S. Presidential Poll Results Won’t Affect Ties

BEIJING – China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang said on Wednesday “no matter who comes into the White House, the underlying trend (of relations with the U.S.) will not change. China-U.S. relations have always been moving forward.”

Despite ongoing disputes, some quite acute, between the two countries, common interests between China and the U.S. were expanding, Li stressed at a press conference at the end of the annual session of the Chinese parliament, adding that China had become the U.S.’s largest trading partner in 2015.

Primaries and caucuses, part of the nominating process of the U.S. presidential elections, are currently being held in several U.S. states.

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump won the Republican primary in Florida, forcing rival Marco Rubio to quit the presidential race, while presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, from the Democrat Party, beat out her closest rival Bernie Sanders.