Beijing will honor its trade deal with the U.S. and wants to see better ties with Washington, senior Chinese officials said Thursday, AP reports.

Zhu Guangyao, a former finance minister and Cabinet advisor, said the two countries should “waste no time” in improving relations to help better coordinate a response to the coronavirus pandemic.

He and other officials told reporters in Beijing that the two biggest economies are so closely entwined that they must find a way to work together because a lack of cooperation has come at a “high price.”

Zhu said relations with the U.S. were “far from satisfactory” with communications at a “standstill.”

The officials insisted China is following through on promises to by buy more U.S. products and other commitments.

“In June or July we'll see an improvement, in particular the recovery of the domestic market in the latter half of the year, and the Chinese economy will have a very strong rebound," one of the officials said.