China's Wang tells Blinken 'no room to compromise' on Taiwan

China and the US must choose between "cooperation or conflict", Beijing's top diplomat told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, the final day of a trip aimed at improving seriously strained relations.

Blinken and Wang Yi, China's top foreign policy official, spoke for three hours Monday at an ornate state guesthouse in the ancient gardens of Diaoyutai, according to a foreign ministry official. "The foreign minister's trip to Beijing this time comes at a critical moment in China-US relations," Wang told Blinken, according to Chinese state television CCTV. 

"We must reverse the downward spiral of China-US relations, strive to return to a healthy and stable path, and work together to find the right way for China and the US to get along," Wang added. He also issued a warning against Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that Beijing claims.

On Sunday, Blinken met with Foreign Minister Qin Gang for seven and a half hours - longer than expected - and the two sides agreed to continue communicating. The talks with Qin were "candid, substantive and constructive," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Blinken stressed "the importance of diplomacy and keeping open channels of communication across a range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation," Miller added. Behind closed doors, Qin told Blinken that relations between the United States and China "are at their lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations," CCTV reported.

A senior US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the discussions went beyond the usual talking points. “This was a real conversation,” he said.