China urges US to 'do more things' conducive to dialogue

Days after Washington enraged Beijing with claims of media manipulation, China expressed hope that the United States will “do more things” to promote Sino-U.S. conversation on Monday, according to the foreign ministry. Since relations have been tense for years over topics like Taiwan, the origins of COVID-19, and claims of Chinese espionage, communication between officials on both sides has grown. “We hope the United States will meet (us) half way, do more things that are conducive to Sino-U.S. dialogue,” the ministry said in a statement. According to the ministry, China has traditionally considered bilateral relations in terms of respect for one another, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. The response was made in response to a request for comment from Reuters over a greeting sent last week by U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken, who wished “peace, happiness, and prosperity” for the Chinese people ahead of Sunday’s National Day holiday. Blinken commended China’s cooperation in addressing common problems with the environment, public health, drug enforcement, food security, and global macroeconomic stability, but he made no mention of any tech-related cooperation. The Biden administration has restricted the shipment of chips to China, claiming that their goal is to prevent Beijing from gaining access to cutting-edge technology that could assist military gains or human rights violations. In response, China levelled charges of economic coercion. The United States was dubbed the genuine “empire of lies” by China’s foreign ministry in response to a U.S. State Department report that was released on Thursday and accused Beijing of investing billions of dollars each year in efforts to manipulate information. The earlier State Department report was not mentioned in the ministry’s statement on Monday, though. Despite a few flare-ups, anticipation has been growing that the most recent rounds of high-level negotiations may help open the door for a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden later this year. (With agency inputs)