Ministry wants foreign companies to uphold basic principles

China hopes foreign companies will uphold basic principles while sharing the opportunity of China's development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday, commenting on an incident where Mercedes-Benz posted on instagram an advertisement quoting the Dalai Lama's words.

The advertisement was posted on Monday. The company later issued an apology and deleted the advertisement.

It is a basic principle both in China and other countries that one should correct their mistakes once aware of them, Geng said.

Geng said China, which will be more confident and more open, will continue to cooperate with foreign companies and welcomes them to share the opportunity of China's development.