China urged the United States on Saturday to manage whatever differences it has with Beijing amid rising concerns on whether Sino-US relations would be affected by the coming US presidential elections.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, in talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday in Beijing, said the two nations should strengthen their bilateral relations ahead of the elections and should "create a positive momentum to their ties."

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"China and the US must cherish the positive progress of the last eight years... strategically manage differences, and bring healthy and stable Sino-US relations to the next US government," Wang said.

Tensions

Tensions are rising over the fate of Sino-US relations in the ongoing US presidential campaign in which Beijing has been slammed by both Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton.

While Trump blasted Beijing by calling it a "currency manipulator," Clinton, for her part, lambasted China for its alleged human rights violations.

Chinese International relations expert Pan Rui said that although China and the US can properly manage their differences in various ways, the two sides are surely headed for a clash as the elections enter its final stage.

"No matter if Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump wins, it brings uncertainties to Sino-US ties," Pan said.

Stricter sanctions

Several issues have strained ties between the two nations lately. Last week, a US warship, USS Decatur, sailed near disputed territories in the South China Sea under the control of Beijing.

The latest US move in the disputed sea angered China, which described it "provocative" and "gravely illegal."

Last Friday, Blinken called on China to impose stricter sanctions against North Korea following Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test last March, the tenth test in a decade.

He urged Beijing to stop importing coal from the isolated state in a bid to cut off any money flow that may be used in its nuclear program.

China earlier said that any money going into North Korea through its coal imports to China is being used to feed the North Korean citizens and not to fund its nuclear weapon system. 

TagsSino-US relations, US presidential campaign, donald trump, Hillary Clinton, North Korea, nuclear programme