BEIJING — China is willing to work with the United States to promote communication at all levels while upholding its "red lines" and principles, a spokesperson for its parliament said on Wednesday. The comments come ahead of the opening of the National People's Congress annual session on Thursday and as both countries look to stabilise ties ahead of an expected summit of leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing at the end of March. Bilateral relations, already bruised due to trade tensions, have been further strained by the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a Caracas raid in January and the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. China counts both countries as long-time major oil suppliers and close partners. Spokesman Lou Qinjian repeated China's call for an immediate ceasefire and urged respect for Iran's sovereignty. "No country has the right to control international affairs, dictate the fate of other nations, or monopolise development advantages, still less to act as it pleases on the world stage," he told a press confe