Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Sunday during a meeting in Beijing with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that relations between the two states “are at their lowest level since the establishment of diplomatic relations” between the two countries, reports EFE, taken over Agerpres.

Qin said the state of bilateral relations “does not meet the fundamental interests of the two peoples and the common expectations of the international community,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.

China’s foreign minister made “clear demands on China’s key interests and major concerns, including the Taiwan issue” in talks with Blinken, who began a two-day visit to the Asian nation on Sunday.

Taiwan poses a “major risk” to relations between Beijing and Washington, China’s foreign minister said, according to statements released by China’s state-run CCTV, Reuters reported.

“The Taiwan issue is a fundamental issue of China’s primary interests, the most important issue in the relationship between China and the United States, and the biggest risk for them,” Qin Gang said to his American counterpart Anthony Blinken, according to CCTV.

Qin also said that “China’s policy towards the US has always maintained continuity and stability and is mainly guided by the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and cooperation,” and that the Asian country is committed to building a “stable, predictable and constructive.”

China’s foreign minister expressed hope that Washington “will maintain an objective and rational perception of China, will move in the same direction and calmly, professionally and rationally resolve unforeseen situations.”

“The two sides held a long, sincere, in-depth and constructive dialogue on China-US general relations and other important related issues,” CCTV said in a statement posted on social media.

The two delegations agreed to “encourage the expansion of educational exchanges”, “actively study the possibility of increasing the number of passenger flights between China and the United States”, and “invite more students, researchers, scientists and businessmen to visit other countries”. side”.

According to Reuters, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang agreed to stabilize relations between the world’s two major economic powers to avoid any conflict and agreed to meet again in Washington.

Anthony Blinken made it “very clear” that the United States does not want to distance itself from China during the first visit by a senior US diplomat to Beijing in five years, US officials said.

The top US diplomat and his Chinese counterpart agreed to continue talks to make progress on a number of issues, officials told reporters.