This archive report was first published on 24 May 2020.
On May 24, 2020, China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, made a stern warning to the United States, stating that relations between the two countries were on the brink of a new Cold War.
The warning came as tensions between the US and China continued to escalate over the COVID-19 pandemic and Beijing's move to tighten control over Hong Kong.
Wang Yi accused the US of being infected by a 'political virus' that compelled its leaders to continually attack China.
He also rejected US criticism of China's initial response to the pandemic, saying that Beijing was open to an international effort to find the source of the virus, but only if the investigation was free of political interference.
Wang's comments were made during a press conference at China's annual parliamentary session, where he also defended Beijing's plan to impose a security law in Hong Kong to suppress the city's pro-democracy movement.
