Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said on Sunday that it was up to the US to strengthen the bilateral relationship, which he described as “vital.”

“We request the U.S. side to stop smearing and containing China. Stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. The bilateral relationship cannot improve unless the U.S. side can do that,” Wei, dressed in the uniform of a general in the People’s Liberation Army, told delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security meeting.