As the two-day U.S.-China talks in Alaska officially concluded on Friday, March 19, the State Department released the full text of press conference statements from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to summarize the difficulties and progress made by the two countries during the talks.
The following is a statement from participating officials released by the State Department.
Press Remarks by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
March 19, 2021
Secretary Blinken: Good morning, everyone. I just want to say a few things. Jack and I have had hours and hours of conversations with our counterpart officials on the Chinese side over the last few days. And, of course, we know and understand that we fundamentally disagree on many fronts, including Chinese actions in Xinjiang, on Hong Kong, Tibet, increasingly on Taiwan, and cyber (hacking) operations.
Not surprisingly, when we raise these issues clearly and directly, we get a defensive response. But we can also have long, frank conversations about very long agendas. On Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, and climate, our interests are intertwined. On economic, trade, and technology issues between the United States and China, we told our Chinese representatives that we are reviewing these issues in close consultation with Congress, allies, and partners. We will continue to move forward – to fully protect and advance the interests of American workers and businesses.
But taking a step back, we want to lay out two things here that we’re going to do when we meet with our Chinese representatives: First, we want to share with them our significant concerns about many of the Chinese actions, including the actions taken by the Chinese (Republic of) and their demonstrated behavior – those issues that are of common concern to our allies and partners. And we did that. We also wanted to be very clear in laying out our own policies, priorities and worldview, and we did that.
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER SULLIVAN: Thank you all. As the secretary of state said, we expected to have a vigorous and direct dialogue on a wide range of issues, and that’s exactly what we got. We had the opportunity to lay out our priorities and intentions and to hear from the Chinese about their priorities and intentions. We came in with a clear head, we left with a clear head, and we will return to Washington to take stock of our progress. We will continue to consult with our allies and partners on the way forward and, of course, through normal diplomatic channels on issues from Iran to Afghanistan. We will continue to work with the Chinese side.
So we thank you for your Time here and we look forward to getting down to official business and promoting American interests and values.
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