China urges cooperation with US amid severe challenges

China's ambassador to the United States has called on the two superpowers to cooperate for improving bilateral relations despite the high number of “severe challenges” impeding fruitful dialogue at the moment.

Beijing hopes to work with Washington so that relations can move forward on a stable, healthy and sustainable track, but the two must jointly establish a correct understanding, Xie Feng told a Harvard University forum, according to a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Sunday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China from Wednesday for discussing a wide-range of issues including the Middle East crisis, the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the South China Sea.

"China does not gamble on the United States to lose, interfere in its internal affairs, or interfere in the US election, and is willing to be a partner and friend with the United States," Xie told the conference.

"If the United States continues to interfere in China's internal affairs and harm China's interests on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, and the South China Sea, how can we maintain the bottom line of bilateral relations no matter how many 'guardrails' are set up?"