Here are the highlights of Alaska’s heated US-China exchange

Talks between the US and China got off to a shaky start on Thursday, with both sides scolding and scolding each other in an unusual public display of tension.

The meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, was the first high-level meeting between the two countries under the administration of President Joe Biden, and came after more than two years of rocky relations between the two countries.

What was initially intended as a four-minute photo shoot ended up taking more than an hour as both sides exchanged barbs on issues of US-China relations much to concern for Washington’s allies. Reporters were told not to leave because both sides wanted to add their rebuttal.

The US delegation was led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Chinese Foreign Minister and Privy Counselor Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, director of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, led the Chinese delegation.

Here are some excerpts and highlights from the meeting:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken:
I said the United States’ relationship with China will be competitive where it should be to work together, words can be contradictory, where it needs to be. Our discussions here in Alaska will vary, I suspect. Our intention is to be direct about our concerns, direct about our priorities, with the aim of moving forward a clearer relationship between our countries.

… I must tell you that in my short time as Secretary of State, I have spoken to nearly 100 colleagues from all over the world. And I just made my first trip, as I said, to Japan and South Korea. I have to tell you that what I hear is very different from what you have described. I hear deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we are working again with our allies and partners. I also hear deep concern about some of the actions your government is taking.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi:
China certainly has not done that in the past and will not accept the unfounded allegations on the part of the US in the future. In recent years, China’s legitimate rights and interests have been outright suppressed, plunging the relationship between China and the US into a period of unprecedented difficulties.

… China is urging the US to completely renounce the hegemony practice of deliberate interference in China’s internal affairs. This is a long-standing problem and needs to be changed. It is time to change.

Chinese Director of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi
China and the United States are both big countries, and both show important responsibilities. We must both contribute to the peace, stability and development of the world, in areas like Covid-19, by restoring world economic activities and responding to climate change.

There are many things we can do together and where our interests converge. So what we need to do is let go of the Cold War mindset and the zero-sum game approach.

Flash:
We will also discuss our deep concerns with actions by China including in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyber attacks on the United States, economic coercion against our allies. Each of these actions threatens the rules-based order that perpetuates global stability.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan:
Secretary of State Blinken has outlined many of the issues, from economic and military coercion to attacks on basic values, which we will discuss with you today and in the coming days.

… We have heard all these concerns from around the world, from our allies and partners and the wider international community during the intensive consultations we have held over the past two months. We will make it clear today that our number one priority on the United States side is to ensure that our approach to the world and our approach to China benefits the American people and protects the interests of our allies and partners.

We do not seek conflict, but we welcome stiff competition and we will always stand up for our principles for our people and for our friends.

Which:
It is also important that we all come together to build a new kind of international relationship, centered on fairness, justice and mutual respect. And on some regional issues, I think the problem is that the United States has exercised long jurisdiction and oppression and been stretched for too long.

… The United States itself does not represent international public opinion, nor does it represent the Western world. Whether judged by population size or world trend, the Western world does not represent global public opinion. So we hope that when we talk about universal values ​​or international public opinion on the part of the United States, we hope that the US will think about whether it feels reassured by saying those things because the US does not represent the world. It represents the United States government only.

Sullivan:
Secretary Blinken and I are proud of the story about America that we can tell here, about a country that, under the leadership of President Biden, has made great strides to contain the pandemic, save our economy and the strength and lasting strength of our democracy . We are extremely proud of the work we have done to revitalize our alliances and partnerships, the foundation of our foreign policy.

Which:
And the United States has its style, American-style democracy. And China has Chinese-style democracy. It is not only up to the American people but also to the people of the world to evaluate how the United States has performed in advancing its own democracy. In the case of China, we have come a long way after decades of reform and opening up in various areas.

… We believe it is important for the United States to change its own image and stop promoting its own democracy in the rest of the world. In fact, many people in the United States have little faith in the United States’ democracy and have different views on the United States government in China.

flash

A hallmark of our leadership, of our commitment to the world, are our alliances and partnerships that have been established on a completely voluntary basis. And it is something President Biden is committed to reviving and strengthening. And there is another hallmark of our leadership here at home, and that is a constant quest to create, as we say, a more perfect union.

And that quest, by definition, recognizes our imperfections and recognizes that we are not perfect. We make mistakes. We, we have reversals, we are taking steps back. But what we’ve done in our history is to face those challenges openly, publicly and transparently. I try not to ignore them. Don’t try to pretend they don’t exist. I try not to sweep them under the carpet. And sometimes it is painful. Sometimes it is ugly. But every time we have come out stronger, better, more united as a country.

I remember well when President Biden was Vice President and we were visiting China … and Vice President Biden said at the time that betting against America is never a good bet. And it stays that way today.