China has accused the United States of oppressing Beijing and urged Washington to remove sanctions and tariffs in top -level talks in Tianjin.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was up to the US to make the right choice.
He made the comments during talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman who said Washington was not looking for a dispute with China.
Beijing has previously repeatedly called on the new government in Washington to mend deteriorating relations under Donald Trump. But President Joe Biden continues to take a firm approach to China, especially on issues such as human rights and sanctions.
In the latest statement, China also demanded the lifting of US sanctions imposed on China, including lifting vias sanctions on Chinese Communist Party members and their families unconditionally, lifting sanctions on Chinese government leaders, officials and agencies.
Earlier on Monday, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Feng said the US had made Beijing an ‘imaginary enemy’, and said the United States did not deserve to criticize the country on human rights issues
After discussions on Monday, Sherman said it's hard to know if things will improve in the coming months.
The US-China visit is widely seen as a preparatory step for the final meeting between Biden and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping. However, officials said the matter was not discussed during Monday's talks, which lasted for about four hours.
