China’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that, at the invitation of the U.S. side, China and the United States will hold a high-level strategic dialogue in the near future. Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, and Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister, will hold the high-level strategic dialogue with Secretary of State Blinken and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Sullivan in Anchorage next Thursday and Friday (March 18-19).
In response to Secretary Blinken’s comments on the upcoming high-level strategic dialogue between the U.S. and China during congressional hearings, Reuters quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s official website as publishing a Q&A with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, saying that China’s position on U.S.-China relations is clear: “We ask the U.S. side to look at China and U.S.-China relations objectively and rationally, abandon the Cold War and zero-sum thinking, and respect China’s sovereignty, security and development interests. development interests. “
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman also said the U.S. should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, focus on cooperation and manage differences in accordance with the spirit of the call between the two heads of state, and promote the return of U.S.-China relations to the right track of healthy and stable development, Reuters said.
On the other hand, Blinken hinted at the hearing Wednesday that next week’s U.S.-China meeting is not a return to the regular high-level dialogue used by previous U.S. administrations, stressing that such dialogue has come under increasing criticism in Washington for making little progress on the issue of U.S. grievances against Beijing. He also mentioned the Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues.
Another unnamed senior U.S. official also revealed that U.S. and Chinese officials will discuss the new crown Epidemic, climate change and several issues on which the two sides disagree, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and an “as-yet-unannounced economic embargo” that China may impose on Australia.
This will be the first high-level face-to-face contact between the two countries since the Biden administration took office. Outsiders noted that the meeting would come after Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin concluded their first trips to key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea. These two core U.S. allies have strained relations with China, and Blinken is expected to consult with both countries prior to his meeting with Beijing.
The United States is currently embarking on a major diplomatic effort to consolidate alliances in Asia and Europe to deal with China. In fact, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said, “It’s very important to us that the first meeting of this administration with Chinese officials takes place on American soil, and after we have met and consulted closely with our partners and allies in Asia and Europe.”
The meeting in Anchorage will continue the careful assessment between the world’s two great powers, according to the New York Times. The Biden Administration has pledged to largely continue the firm stance the Trump administration has taken toward Beijing, an assessment that has been ongoing since taking office. Last week, Blinken’s speech and the new White House National Security Strategy document identified China as the greatest threat facing the United States.
In the speech, Blinken said managing relations with China would be “the greatest geopolitical test of the 21st century” and called China a country capable of “seriously challenging a stable and open international system.
In a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month, Biden warned that he intends to challenge China’s “coercive and unfair economic practices,” its record on human rights and its crackdown on Hong Kong, according to a White House summary of the call. But Biden also said he wants to work with Xi on issues such as the New Coronavirus, nuclear proliferation and climate change.
A few days ago, Blinken also tweeted that he was looking forward to engaging with Chinese officials “on a range of issues, including those on which we have serious differences.
Analysis suggests that this series of trips by the Biden team is a sign of the importance his administration places on Asia-Pacific affairs. While interacting with allies in the region, the U.S. side also used the Alaska talks to communicate with the Chinese side to avoid completely excluding Beijing from diplomatic talks. U.S. Asia expert Bonnie Glaser also said earlier that the timing of the meeting sends a message to Beijing about the strength of U.S. alliances. She also stressed, “If the Chinese side repeats the message they included in their recent speech that the problems in the U.S.-China relationship are caused by the United States and therefore the ball is in the U.S. court, then nothing positive will come out of this meeting.”
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