File Photo: Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai delivers a keynote speech during the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Pig Gala in New York, the United States, Jan. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

LEXINGTON, the United States, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai on Wednesday denounced Washington's arbitrary sanctions against Chinese tech companies.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the fifth China-U.S. Governors Forum, Cui said those sanctions show that the United States is "at the end of their wit."

"The United States is the most powerful developed country in the world, the single superpower. How did it come to a point where it resolves to sanctions despite having better approaches at hand?" Cui said.

"Why can't it negotiate with others? Why can't it consider the opinion of others? Why can't it accommodate reasonable concerns of others?" Cui added.

The United States recently slapped restrictions on sale and transfer of American technologies to Chinese telecom giant Huawei, and is reportedly mulling cutting off the flow of U.S. technology to more Chinese companies.

The ambassador said he cannot sway or predict Washington's decision, but hopes the United States "will not repeat itself."

In view of the ongoing trade tensions between the two countries, Cui noted that the China-U.S. relationship is facing complexities, but there is hope that robust local-level cooperation can turn the tide.

"I hope positive factors at the local levels will triumph over the negatives in certain areas, not the other way around," Cui said.

Initiated in 2011, the China-U.S. Governors Forum has become an important platform to promote exchanges and cooperation between local governments of the two countries.

The U.S. state of Kentucky is hosting this year's three-day forum, which opened in the city of Lexington on Wednesday. It will feature dialogues on business, culture, education and other issues, as well as a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding between the Chinese city of Chongqing and the U.S. state of Kentucky.