The US is working with allies and partners to strengthen its hand against China and the recent Quad summit was probably the most important illustration in practical terms of exactly what it was trying to achieve, a Biden administration official has said on the eve of a crucial meeting with top Chinese foreign policy officials. The relations between the US and China are at an all-time low. The two countries are currently engaged in a bitter confrontation over various issues, including trade, the communist giant's aggressive military moves in the disputed South China Sea and human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang region.