China sees chance to rebuild trust with US

China's top diplomat yesterday called for the resumption of talks with the incoming administration of United States president-elect Joe Biden, as relations between the world's two largest economies continued to nosedive.

Beijing and Washington have locked horns over issues from trade and China's human rights record to its expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea.

But during a video call with the board of the US-China Business Council, foreign minister Wang Yi said "the two sides should work together."

"We need to strive to restart the dialogue, get back on the right track and rebuild mutual trust in the next phase of China-US relations," he added.

His comments come days after Washington unveiled travel restrictions for members of the Chinese Communist Party over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, as relations between the two tumble to the lowest point in decades.

More sanctions are expected this week, with Bloomberg reporting that the US is set to slap at least a dozen officials with asset freezes over their role in the disqualification of pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong.

China's relations with US allies, most notably Australia, have also plummeted in recent weeks.

A senior Chinese official sparked outrage when he tweeted a staged image of an Australian soldier holding a bloody knife to an Afghan child's throat.

But Wang appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone, saying the two sides should work to "expand consensus."

"We need to maintain a constructive attitude to avoid intensifying and escalating the overall situation of China-US relations," he added.

Biden is set to succeed Donald Trump, who launched a bruising trade war against China and targeted groups including telecom giant Huawei.

The president-elect is expected to knit back together tattered alliances on the global stage.