WASHINGTON – China has reportedly rejected President Donald Trump's request to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, with officials saying the country doesn't want to get involved in U.S. domestic politics.

“We have no intention of intervening in the domestic affairs of the United States. Our position is consistent and clear," China foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a report in the South China Morning Post, the main English-language newspaper in Hong Kong.

Already under investigation for asking Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden, Trump on Thursday said on the South Lawn of the White House that China should also investigate his political foe.

"By the way, likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine," Trump told reporters.

Democrats and some Republicans denounced Trump for invoking China.

Impeachment pressure:Trump says China should investigate Joe Biden, family

Trump and Beijing have been locked in a months-long trade war with both countries imposing an ever escalating series of tariffs. A delegation of Chinese negotiators is expected to arrive in Washington later this week.