BEIJING, June 18. /TASS/. Chinese-US relations have hit the lowest level since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Sunday at a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"As of today, relations between China and the United States are the lowest level since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. It is not in the interests of the peoples of China and the United States," China’s Central Television quoted him as saying.

According to Qin, political strains between Beijing and Washington are advantageous for other countries. He stressed that his country’s authorities "have been consistently pursuing a consistent and stable policy" toward the US. In his words, China wants peaceful development and cooperation on a mutually beneficial basis.

"We hope that the American side will have an objective and rational position toward China," he added.

Blinken is visiting China from June 18-19. His visit was initially planned for February but the visit did not take place due to the incident with a Chinese balloon, which was shot down by a US missile within the US airspace. Beijing claimed that it was a meteorological blimp but Washington insisted that the balloon had been used to collect "sensitive information."

This is the first visit by a top US diplomat to China since October 2018.