WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Tuesday praised China's achievement in poverty alleviation and said it is possible that Washington forge a positive relationship with the Asian nation.

"China and its leadership is, if I'm not mistaken, they have made more progress in addressing extreme poverty than any country in the history of civilization, so they've done a lot of things for their people," said the U.S. senator representing the state of Vermont, suggesting that people should judge China "in fairness."

Sanders made the remarks in an interview with HILL TV. He said he thinks "it is absolutely possible for us to have a positive working relationship with China."

The progressive-leaning candidate, who is currently competing in the Democratic Party primary, said he would not use the phrase "an existential threat" to describe China relative to the United States, adding that China is a country that is "vigorously protecting their own interests."

On Sunday, Sanders said in an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" program that President Donald Trump's trade policy is "totally irrational, and is destabilizing the entire world economy."