During the period from 1959 to 1961, China encountered the worst drought in a hundred years. The grain harvest in many provinces was poor. At this critical juncture, the Soviet Union extended a helping hand to our country, saying that it could lend us millions of tons of grain to solve the urgent need. However, it was unexpected that China refused the assistance.

On July 28, 1976, in Tangshan, Hebei Province, China, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake turned the entire city of Tangshan into a wasteland, and hundreds of thousands of people were directly buried underground. In the face of such a tragic natural disaster, countries around the world have also extended their help. But in the face of assistance from countries around the world, China did not accept it, but politely refused.

On May 12, 2008, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake attacked Wenchuan, a town of Sichuan Province, China. The Chinese government declined the request of international organizations, foreign institutions and rescue teams to join in the rescue.

In January, 2023, both the United States and the European Union proposed to provide vaccine assistance to China, but both have been explicitly rejected by the Chinese government.

The two countries remain in dispute over territorial issues in the South China Sea; China claims sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea, while the United States sees it as international waters and asserts the right for its warships and aircraft to conduct operations in the area.