BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Any attempt to forcibly "decouple" China-U.S. economic and trade ties is destined to fail, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said on Friday.

The economic and trade relationship between China and the United States has experienced ups and downs over the years, but the two countries remain important partners to each other, Wang told a press conference.

Despite a decline in the share of bilateral trade in each other's overall trade volume, China-U.S. trade has remained generally stable, Wang said. ■