As he departed France, China's top diplomat had some blistering words for the United States. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said there were "extremist forces" at work and rejected the idea of a U.S.-China decoupling amid souring relations with Washington.

"At present, China-U.S. relations are in the gravest situation since diplomatic relations began," said Wang during a speech on Sunday at the French Institute of International Relations, a think-tank in Paris.

Wang said the U.S. was "coercing other countries to take sides and attempting to push Sino-US relations into conflicts and confrontations."

He expressed hope that Europe would play a role in easing the tensions.

"The U.S. may not be willing to let go of its leading position but the trend in history is unstoppable. We have never wanted to engage in a new Cold War with anyone," said Minister Wang. 

"I believe we could find agreement in dialogue and communication. There must still be reasonable people in the U.S. We hope the EU and France could both contribute to a stable U.S. China relations."

Europe caught in the middle of China and the U.S.

As China-U.S. relations deteriorate, Europe has found itself caught in the middle of the world's two superpowers. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Europe earlier this month, pushing European allies to take a tougher stance on Beijing.

Minister Wang's week-long, five-country European tour is aimed at counterbalancing U.S. influence by strengthening the EU-China relations. It's his first trip overseas since the coronavirus pandemic, an indication of the importance Beijing places on the partnership.

During his 40 minute speech on Sunday, Minister Wang reiterated China's commitment to peaceful development, multilateralism and globalization and called for the solidarity of world communities as the epidemic continues.

"China will continue to adhere to cooperative development. China's development benefits from friendly cooperation with countries around the world," he said.

Wang Yi spends three days in Paris, two deals signed

During his three-day stopover in Paris, Minister Wang met with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two agreed to promote bilateral cooperation, especially around the development and distribution of a coronavirus vaccine.

Mr. Wang also met with his French counterpart Jean Yves le Drian and two accords were signed. One was an agricultural agreement related to quarantine conditions and health requirements for breeding poultry and eggs intended for export to China. The other was a joint declaration on strengthening cooperation in supply chain connectivity in the context of COVID-19.

While Minister Wang's visit focused on deepening ties, Mr. Macron and Mr. Le Drian took the opportunity to raise concerns over human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

At the French Institute of International Relations conference, Mr. Wang defended China's intentions in both regions and said human rights were protected.

From Paris, Minister Wang heads to Germany, the last stop on his weeklong European tour. He's expected to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel who is the most powerful and influential leader in Europe. She's keen to clinch an EU-China investment deal by the end of the year, which would tie the bloc even closer to Beijing.