Premier Li says China does not want trade war with U.S.

BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday China does not want to see a trade war between the world's biggest and second biggest economies.

"That would not make our trade fairer," he said while addressing a press conference after the conclusion of the annual session of China's national legislature.

If there were a trade war, it would be foreign-funded companies, particularly U.S. firms, that would first bear the brunt, Li said, citing an article written by an authoritative international thinktank.

"No mater what bumps the China-U.S. relationship may run into, we hope this relationship will continue to move forward in the positive direction," Li said.

He said China believes the people of both countries have the wisdom to properly manage their differences, adding that "there is a need and there are also conditions for us to continue to expand our common interests."