China says U.S. is the 'inventor of coercive diplomacy' -foreign ministry

The United States is the "inventor of coercive diplomacy", China's vice foreign minister Xie Feng told U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Monday, according to a statement on the foreign ministry website.

The two are meeting in Tianjin.

The countermeasures China takes against Washington are "legitimate and reasonable", Xie said.