US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the United States wants a positive relationship with China but that would not be at the expense of its allies.
"We have a role and can't abandon our allies. We've made that abundantly clear. We're going to have a good relationship with China," he told reporters in Manila according to Reuters.
"We have to have a relationship with China. We want it to be as positive as it possibly can be."
