U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected the claims of “cold war” between the U.S. and China in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, adding that he resisted “putting labels on most relationships including this one, because it’s complex.”

“This is not about initiating a cold war, this is all about doing our part to make sure that democracy is strong, resilient, and meeting the needs of its people,” he said, referring to Washington’s intention to hold a “democracy summit” later in the year. “We’re not asking countries to choose [between the U.S. and China],” Blinken added. He took the interview during a visit to London for talks with G7 counterparts.

The G7 foreign and development ministers gathered Monday for a three-day meeting for the first time in two years to address such issues as economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic as well as climate change.

Blinken will attend a United Nations Security Council meeting Friday to discuss global cooperation and multilateral institutions, the first event convened by China as it assumes the Security Council presidency for the month of May. (CGTN)