BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China expressed regret over the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

According to reports, the White House announced on Wednesday that the United States will withdraw from the UPU, the United Nations specialized agency for the postal sector.

"We regret that the U.S. decided to withdraw from the UPU," spokesperson Lu Kang said at a routine press briefing. He stressed that the U.S. made the decision out of its own consideration, and this had nothing to do with China, noting that the U.S. had recently made more than one decision to withdraw from international organizations.

The UPU has played a positive role in bringing contacts of all countries closer and promoting trade facilitation, Lu said.

China has always advocated for and is committed to maintaining multilateralism, and actively participating in and supporting the work of the UPU, Lu said.

"We will continue to work with all parties to contribute to the development of the international postal industry," he added.