The United States Secretary of State has said on Friday that Washington is seeking a friendly, constructive dialogue with Beijing.
Despite the fact that the US is still "concerned" over China's military policies and religious freedom in the country, Washington does not seek a new "Cold War" with Beijing, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at a news conference following diplomatic talks with Chinese officials.
"The United States is not pursuing a Cold War or containment policy with China. Rather, we want to ensure that China act responsibly and fairly in support of security and prosperity in each of our two countries," Pompeo said.
Bilateral relations and cooperation with China remain essential for the United States on many issues, including North Korean denuclearization and Iran sanctions.
"We hope to work with the Chinese government and Chinese energy companies in this regard," Pompeo said. "Bringing Iran's oil export revenues to zero is a critical component of this campaign and we discussed this today."
Chinese-US relations deteriorated in late May when US President Donald Trump announced that $50 billion worth of Chinese goods would be subject to 25 percent tariffs in a bid to fix the US trade deficit with China.
Since then, the two countries have exchanged several rounds of trade duties, with negotiations proving to be unsuccessful.
Mike Pompeo also noted that significant concerns over China's policy in the South China Sea remain.
"I was clear… that we have continued concerns about China's activities and militarization in the South China Sea. We pressed China to live up to its past commitments in this area," Pompeo told to the press.
China is involved in a number of territorial disputes over the islands in the South China Sea. China and the Philippines along with Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam are contesting the Spratly archipelago, whose shelf has significant oil and gas reserves. In July 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration said that there was no legal basis for China's maritime claims in the region after the relevant request of Manila. China refused to recognize the court's ruling.
At the same time, Pompeo reaffirmed journalists that the US honors the one-China policy.