The Chinese Embassy in Washington shot down a report that Beijing was seeking a high-level meeting between the U.S. and China to ease tensions that have been boiling for four years.
The report denied by the embassy had claimed that Chinese officials discussed sending Politburo member Yang Jiechi to Washington. That prospect, according to The Wall Street Journal, was then pitched by Ambassador Cui Tiankai to U.S. officials.
“This report is not true to facts. The Chinese side never wrote such letters,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement Saturday. “We hope the media concerned respect the facts and report on Sino-U.S. relations in an objective and responsible manner.”
The embassy added that the U.S. and China should “meet each other halfway” on disagreements, which have compounded over the past several years.
China and the U.S. were at loggerheads on a range of issues under the Trump administration. Chief among them was trade, with each side embroiled in a trade war that saw billions of dollars of tit-for-tat tariffs implemented on the other side. Washington also panned Beijing over its military maneuvers in the South China Sea, intellectual property theft and more.
President Biden has indicated that he will try to have a less acrimonious relationship with China. He has cited climate change and combating the coronavirus as potential areas of cooperation, though he has said he won’t immediately remove the tariffs that former President Trump imposed on China.