China accused the United States of “wants to reignite the sense of national purpose by making China an ‘imaginary enemy’,” Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said at the meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, state television reported. Sherman came to the eastern city of Tianjin for a meeting with Xie Feng and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, a day after Wang had warned that China would not allow the United States to take a superior position in the relationship.

Senior US officials had described Sherman’s expected position during the meeting, saying the United States greeted competition with Beijing but would request on a level playing field and guardrails to avoid conflicts. The US government have been openly disapproving of China’s policy in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, which is a bill to ban imports from the far western region, mentioning forced labour concerns.

• IIT Bombay Sets Up Rs 100 Crore Venture Capital Fund for Startups 
• Tata Power Inks MoU with Asian Development Bank for $4.25 Billion 
• Innovators Facade Shares Skyrocketed 11% on Securing Orders Worth Rs 110 Crore 
• Stocks in Focus: SJVN, Tata Power, Afcons Infrastructure, and Others
• Stocks Under F&O Ban: Adani Enterprises, Aarti Industries, Indraprastha Gas, and Others 

At the meeting in Alaska, Chinese officials protested against US democracy, while US officials blamed China for grandstanding during the session. Ties have continued to worsen since, with measures such as tit-for-tat sanctions and diplomatic points having dominated in the Tianjin talks. Sherman will continue the discussions on Monday before travelling to Geneva to head a US commission at negotiations with Russia over nuclear arms control.