Chinese officials on Monday went on the offensive amid high-level talks with the U.S., blaming Washington for causing a “stalemate” in relations between the two countries.

Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng accused the Biden administration of attempting tamp down Chinese development during talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, The Associated Press reports. Sherman is the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit China.

According to Xie, the U.S. portrays China as an “imagined enemy,” straining relations between Beijing and Washington.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters that China sought out the U.S.’s cooperation on climate change and the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea during the talks, but also “expressed its strong dissatisfaction” with the U.S.’s stance on tracing the origins of COVID-19, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Xinjiang province.... Read More: The Hill