Secretary of State Antony Blinken (pictured left), accompanied by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, speaks to the media following a closed-door meeting between the United States and China in Anchorage, Alaska, March 19, 2021.
The United States and China completed two days of talks in Alaska on Friday, March 19, after the two sides sharply clashed and publicly traded barbs with each other in unusual ways, with the United States blaming the Chinese Communist government for many of the problems that have caused international unrest and Chinese officials constantly attacking the United States with heated rhetoric. In the closed-door meeting that followed, the two sides addressed topics of mutual concern, with Secretary of State Blinken arguing that the U.S. side had achieved its goal of holding the talks. For its part, the Chinese side acknowledged that serious differences remain between the two sides.
During the meeting, U.S. officials criticized the Chinese Communist Party on a range of issues from Tibet, Hong Kong, the Xinjiang region, Taiwan, and the South China Sea, cyber attacks, and trade to human rights. The Beijing government denied it across the board, saying the U.S. claims had a “strong flavor of gunpowder and drama” and blamed the U.S. government for the problems.
At the end of Friday’s meeting, Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi walked out of the conference room at the same Time and left without stopping, refusing to answer questions from reporters.
U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken and National Security Adviser John Sullivan, on the other hand, briefed reporters on the talks.
Blinken said that on topics on which the two sides have fundamental differences, “we got a defensive response from the Chinese side.”
He also said the U.S. side achieved its two main initial objectives in holding the high-level talks: “We wanted to share with them many of the actions we have taken with respect to the Chinese (Communist Party) and the significant concerns that have been expressed on a number of issues, practices that are shared by our allies and partners.” “We did that. We also wanted to lay out very clearly our own policies, priorities and worldview. And we did that.”
Blinken said the two sides also held discussions on Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and climate.
“We also had a very frank conversation in those hours on a number of broad agendas, such as Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and climate, areas where our interests intersect,” he said.
On the economic, trade and technology fronts, the U.S. side also stressed that it will continue to review Chinese practices to adequately protect the interests of American workers and businesses.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. side had anticipated a difficult dialogue between the two countries, and the substance was expected. “We anticipated tough and direct talks on a wide range of topics …… (and after that) we had an opportunity to articulate priorities and intentions and to listen to the Chinese side’s priorities and intentions.”
In an interview with Chinese media afterward, Yang Jiechi, the Communist Party’s top diplomatic official, said dialogue between the U.S. and China is the only way to resolve differences, citing that “major differences still exist” between the two countries and that he hopes to follow up with “enhanced communication and exchanges.”
Before the start of Thursday’s meeting, Yang Jiechi forced a lengthy 17-minute opening statement, during which he repeatedly hit the U.S. side with harsh language. For its part, the State Department condemned the practice of Chinese Communist Party officials violating the two-minute time limit for opening statements prior to the meeting and deemed it “geared toward dramatization in a public setting.”
The State Department statement said, “U.S. confidence in dealing with Beijing will be eroded by this action – and we speak from a position of strength – and while we are humble enough to want to forge an alliance that is committed to betterment, (the behavior is) not be tolerated).”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian blamed the move on the U.S. side, claiming that the strong fireworks and drama between the two sides from the opening statements “was not the original intention of the Chinese side.”
The Associated Press believes the Biden administration has not yet indicated whether it is ready or willing to move away from the hard-line stance toward China taken by Donald Trump, as U.S.-China relations have been broken for years.
The day before the meeting, the U.S. State Department affirmed sanctions against 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials for Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. The Chinese Communist Party was furious, calling the move “U.S. interference in its internal affairs” and “a mere reflection of America’s internal vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
On the other hand, The Japanese media also pointed out that a few hours before the start of Thursday’s meeting, the Chinese Communist Party’s Air China purchased $2.2 billion worth of aircraft from the U.S. side. The industry believes that the practice was also intentionally scheduled on the eve of the meeting.
China and the United States, which have been in a trade war since 2018, signed the first phase of a trade agreement in early 2020, but the Epidemic pandemic led to the collapse of the channels of communication established between the Trump Administration and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.
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