BEIJING: China’s Foreign Minister told the US ambassador on Monday that Washington is responsible for the downturn in ties between the two countries and must “reflect deeply” before ties can return to a healthy track, an official said.
Qin Gang’s comments follow a suspension of serious dialogue on a range of issues between the world’s largest economies, attempts by Washington to deprive China of cutting-edge technology, and China’s claims to self-governing Taiwan and large parts of the South and East China Seas.
China’s Foreign Ministry quoted Qin as telling Ambassador Nicolas Burns that a “series of erroneous words and deeds by the US” since a meeting in November between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping “have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-US relations”. “The US side should reflect deeply and meet China halfway,” Qin said.