A high-ranking Chinese diplomat said some people in the United States view China as an “imaginary enemy” and that it was the main cause of tensions between the two countries.

Xie Feng, China’s vice foreign minister, made the remarks during a meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, according to a report by Chinese state television on Monday, July 26.

Sherman arrived in the eastern Chinese city of Tianjin for talks with Xie and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday.

A day before her arrival, Wang had warned China would not accept the United States taking a “superior” position in the relationship.

Senior US officials on Saturday outlined Sherman’s expected position during the talks, saying the United States welcomes competition with Beijing but would insist on a level playing field and “guardrails” to avoid conflicts.

The tense back and forth comes amid already frayed relations between Beijing in Washington that have worsened in the months since an initial diplomatic meeting in March, the first under US President Joe Biden’s administration.

At the meeting in Alaska, Chinese officials railed against the state of US democracy while US officials accused the Chinese side of grandstanding during the meeting.

Ties have continued to deteriorate since, including a series of tit-for-tat sanctions and diplomatic barbs that have overshadowed the talks in Tianjin.

Sherman is expected to continue with the talks in Tianjin on Monday before traveling to Geneva to head a US delegation at nuclear arms control talks with Russia on Wednesday. – Rappler.com