Tensions have escalated between China and the United States since the beginning of this year, on the back of mutual accusations about the source of the emerging Corona virus and the way to deal with the epidemic.
The human rights record in the two countries also constituted a point of tension and attraction between them, whether regarding the turmoil in the United States due to the killing of the black American citizen George Floyd at the hands of the police, or about violations in the Xinjiang region against the Muslim Uighur minority.
Added to this is the imposition of a national security law in Hong Kong passed by the Chinese parliament last June, which has sparked widespread controversy in international circles.
The following report monitors the most important tensions between the two sides, most notably since the beginning of this year:
January 27: The United States warns its citizens not to travel to China after detecting 5 confirmed cases of the new Corona virus related to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
February 1: The US administration prohibits foreigners from China from entering the country, fearing the transmission of the emerging coronavirus infection.
February 19: Chinese authorities withdraw credentials of 3 American journalists for an article published in the Wall Street Journal entitled "China is the Sick Man in Asia".
March 12: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Li Jian accuses the US military of bringing the epidemic to Wuhan during the city's military games, which prompted the US State Department to summon the Chinese ambassador to it.
March 16: US President Donald Trump describes the new Corona virus in a tweet on Twitter as a "Chinese virus."
April 30: President Trump accuses China of seeking to make him lose the next presidential election, in an interview with Reuters.
May 13: The FBI accuses China of trying to steal US intellectual property and data related to Covid-19's research.
May 20: The United States approves the sale of Taiwan's 18 MK-48 heavy torpedoes, in a deal valued at $ 180 million.
The State Department said providing Taiwan with these torpedoes serves the economic and security interests of the United States by helping Taiwan modernize its armed forces and maintain reliable defense capability.
May 24: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says at an annual press conference in Beijing on the sidelines of parliament meetings that the United States is pushing relations with his country to the brink of a new cold war.
June 17: The US president signs legislation calling for sanctions against Chinese officials involved in what the US administration considers suppressing Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
June 18: President Trump says complete separation between the world's two largest economies remains a possible political option for his administration, noting that his country maintains a policy option to pursue under various circumstances of complete separation from China.
June 22: The United States begins treating 4 major Chinese media outlets as foreign diplomatic missions, allegedly as Beijing's propaganda apparatus.
June 30: The Chinese parliament passes Hong Kong's National Security Law, which considers any anti-government activities in support of separatism and incitement aimed at bringing down the country.
July 1: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo describes Hong Kong law as an insult to all countries, and says that Washington will follow President Trump's directions to end the city's special status, and China asks 4 US media organizations to provide details of their operations in the country, in what it calls a retaliation for the measures American against the Chinese media.
July 9: The US State Department bans 3 senior Chinese officials and their family members from obtaining visas to enter the country due to violations of Uighurs.
July 13: The United States rejects Beijing's allegations of naval resources in the South China Sea, which has raised the ire of the latter, which says that Washington's stance is increasing tension in the region, and China is responding with sanctions against 4 US officials in response to the sanctions imposed by Washington over the Uighur issue in a region Xinjiang.
July 14: The US President signs legislation to end the preferential treatment enjoyed by Hong Kong as a punishment for China in what he called its "repressive" measures against residents of the former British colony.
July 16: President Donald Trump's administration considers imposing a travel ban on all CPC members and their families to the United States due to Uighur violations in Xinjiang.
July 22: The United States asks China to close its consulate in Houston within 72 hours, while sources said Beijing is considering closing the US consulate in Wuhan in response.