Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday that it is imperative to stabilize Sino-US relations after a series of «erroneous words and deeds» froze ties again.
In a meeting with Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China, Qin stressed that the US should improve the way it has handled the Taiwan issue and stop undermining the «one China» principle.
The relationship between the world’s two largest economies collapsed last year when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid an official visit to democratically governed Taiwan, angering China, which claims the island as its territory.
In response, Beijing cut formal communication channels with the United States, including one between its militaries.
Tension between the two superpowers eased in November when US and Chinese leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met at a G20 summit in Indonesia and vowed more frequent dialogue.
“A series of wrong words and actions by the United States since then have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-US relations,” Qin told Burns, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
«The dialogue and cooperation agenda agreed by the two parties has been interrupted, and the relationship between the two countries has cooled once again.»
Tensions flared in February when a Chinese high-altitude balloon appeared in US airspace, and in response, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a visit to Beijing.
Last week, Blinken appeared to offer hope of a visit, telling the Washington Post that it was important to re-establish regular lines of communication at all levels.
Also last week, US climate envoy John Kerry said China had invited him to visit «short term» to talk about avoiding a global climate crisis, further raising hopes of restoring one of the most important state-to-state relationships in the world.
«The top priority is to stabilize Sino-US relations, avoid a downward spiral and prevent any accident between China and the United States,» Qin said.
Taiwan remains the thorniest issue in Sino-US relations.
Last month, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
Since 1979, the US-Taiwan relationship has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which provides a legal basis for giving Taiwan the means to defend itself, but does not require the US to come to Taiwan’s aid if attacked. .
As part of the 2023 budget, the US Congress authorized up to $1 billion in arms aid for Taiwan using a type of authority that streamlines security assistance and has helped deliver weapons to Ukraine.