BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (pic) used his first meeting with new US Ambassador David Perdue to complain about recent actions by Washington, underscoring a downturn in relations between the world’s two biggest economies.
"Unfortunately, the US has recently introduced a series of negative measures on unfounded grounds, undermining China’s legitimate rights and interests,” Wang said during the sitdown in Beijing, according to a Chinese government statement.
He called on the US to "create the necessary conditions for China-US relations to return to the right track.”
Perdue said in a post on X that he raised the Trump administration’s "priorities on trade, fentanyl and illegal immigration,” and that communications was "vital” to the two sides’ ties.
Wang’s comments come after China accused the US of violating a trade deal reached in Geneva, saying Washington had introduced new discriminatory restrictions, including guidelines on AI chip export controls, curbs on chip design software sales to the Asian nation and plans to revoke Chinese student visas.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer last week accused Beijing of failing to comply with elements of that agreement, complaining that China had not sped up exports of critical minerals needed for cutting-edge electronics.
President Donald Trump expressed confidence a talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping could ease trade tensions, although it’s unclear that such a call is being arranged.
Perdue arrived in Beijing in mid-May with the expectation that he’ll use his close relationship with Trump to reopen key communication channels in the difficult China-US relationship. - Bloomberg
