After Rex Tillerson praises India, China tells US to 'stop being biased'

China was reacting to Rex Tillerson's remarks about America deepening ties with India to counter China

China on Thursday told the US to shed its biased views about Beijing which it said is well justified to safeguard its interests and rights.

Beijing was reacting to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's remarks about America deepening ties with India to counter China.

The Foreign Ministry said it did not mind if ties between India and the US were conducive to development in the region.

"We are happy to see the development of relations between these countries as long as they are conducive to the peaceful development of the region and enhancement of relations among the regional countries," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

"The US should abandon its biased views on China and work with it towards the same goal to uphold the momentum for a steady and sound China relations."

Tillerson, who will visit India next week, described India as America's partner and said Washington cannot have the same relationship with "non-democratic" Beijing as it has with New Delhi.

The Secretary of State also slammed China for violating maritime laws in the South China Sea.

Lu countered: "China steadfastly upheld the international order with the UN at the core and based on the purposes and principles of UN charter we will firmly uphold the multilateralism yet we will also firmly safeguard our own interests and rights.

"China hopes that Washington can look China's development in an objective way as well as its role in the international community," Lu added.

India, on the other hand, hailed Tillerson's friendly approach

India described Tillerson's speech as a "significant policy statement on India-US relations and its future". Tillerson is scheduled to visit India next week.

A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday hailed the speech and also sought to underline the congruence of views between India and the US on China's assertiveness in the South China Sea, as well as New Delhi and Washington DC's misgivings over Beijing's 'One Belt, One Road' (OBOR) infrastructure project. (ALSO READ: Tillerson's speech a significant policy statement on ties with US: India)

Here's what Tillerson said on China:

In his first major India-policy speech, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday said that US is India's "reliable partner" at the world stage in this period of uncertainty and angst, sending a strong signal to side with India amidst China's "provocative actions" in the region.

He said, "China, while rising alongside India, has done so less responsibly, at times undermining the international, rules-based order even as countries like India operate within a framework that protects other nations’ sovereignty.

China’s provocative actions in the South China Sea directly challenge the international law and norms that the United States and India both stand for.

The United States seeks constructive relations with China, but we will not shrink from China’s challenges to the rules-based order and where China subverts the sovereignty of neighboring countries and disadvantages the U.S. and our friends."