WASHINGTON, March 6. /TASS/. Washington should avoid trying to disrupt economic, trade and energy cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the US, told TASS.

"China, the United States, and Russia are all sovereign states and have the right to choose their partners independently. The normal economic, trade and energy cooperation between China and Russia does not target any third party, and should not be disrupted or affected," he pointed out, commenting on a Wall Street Journal report about Washington’s plans to make China reduce oil purchases from Russia.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier, citing sources, that US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent was "considering putting a tricky trade-off on the agenda for coming talks with his Chinese counterpart: reducing China’s oil purchases from US adversaries like Russia." Bessent will also "try to get China to instead buy American oil-and-gas products." In addition, "Washington is seeking expanded Chinese purchases of American soybeans and Boeing jets, as well as a relaxation of Beijing’s export controls on rare-earth elements," the Wall Street Journal noted.