China rebukes US during tense Pompeo visit

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a Monday meeting in Beijing that "a shadow has been cast over the future of China-US relations."

In a direct response to US Vice President Mike Pence's attacks on China over military aggression, commercial theft and human rights violations last week, Wang said the US had also "stepped up rhetoric over trade tensions" after several tariffs were slapped on billions of dollars in mutual trade.

He also accused the US of making "a series of moves" on Taiwan and "other issues" that he said hurt Chinese sovereignty.

"These actions have affected the mutual trust between both sides and have cast a shadow over the prospect of China-US relations, which completely go against the interest of our two peoples," Wang said. "We require that the US stop such misguided actions."

China and the US have also been at odds over trade and Beijing's militarization of islands it claims as its own in the South China Sea.

Pompeo strikes back

"On the issues that you characterized, we have fundamental disagreements," Pompeo told Wang. "We have great concerns over the actions that China has taken and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship."

Read more: US-China trade row: Should Americans worry?

Pompeo also mentioned Beijing's cancellation of a meeting between US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart in Beijing later in October.

Pompeo, on the final leg of an Asian trip focused on the North Korean nuclear issue, told Yi that "significant progress" had been made during his visit to North Korea toward an agreement that would see Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons.

jbh/kms (AP, AFP)

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