TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, gave an exclusive interview with CNN at the U.S. embassy in Beijing on Friday (Aug. 19) in which he discussed China’s actions towards Taiwan following the Aug. 2 visit of U. S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.

The U.S Ambassador noted that China has become an “agent of instability” in the Taiwan Strait. Burns said that after Pelosis's visit, Beijing “overreacted” in a way that was designed to “intimidate and coerce” Taiwan.

During the interview shared by CNN, Burns said he had a “contentious meeting” with a vice foreign minister of China on the evening that Pelosi landed in Taipei. Burns noted that he defended Pelosi’s visit and suggested that the current tensions are a “manufactured crisis” by the government of China.

To address heightened tensions in U.S.-China relations, the U.S. Ambassador called for more dialogue, especially cabinet level talks between Beijing and Washington. Burns insisted that the U.S. has been very clear about maintaining its policy towards Taiwan.

He urged Beijing to act peacefully in the future and avoid aggressive actions that could disturb peace in the region. Burns also urged Chinese authorities to return to the negotiating table with the U.S. to discuss issues like trade and climate change, as reported by CNN.