US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd R), accompanied by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan (R), speaks to Yang Jiechi (2nd L), Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office, and Wang Yi (L), China’s Foreign Minister at the opening session of the US-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska on March 18, 2021.
Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images
BEIJING – The first high-level meeting of US and Chinese officials led by President Joe Biden began on Thursday with an exchange of insults at a press event preceding the meeting.
A scheduled four-minute photo shoot for the officials to address reporters ended up taking an hour and 15 minutes due to a frothy exchange, NBC said. Both the Chinese and American sides continued to call reporters back into the room so they could make comments.
Expectations were already low before the meeting in Alaska with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Chinese Secretary of State Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, director of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission on Foreign Affairs.
In his opening address, Blinken said the US would “discuss its” deep concerns about actions by China, including in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyber attacks on the United States, economic coercion on our allies, “according to a transcript from NBC. “Each of these actions threatens the rules-based order that maintains global stability.”
“That’s why it’s not just internal issues, and that’s why we feel an obligation to raise these issues here today,” said Blinken. “I said the United States’ relationship with China will be competitive where it should be to work together, the word can be hostile where it needs to be.”
Beijing views issues in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan as part of its internal affairs, and officials reiterated at the meeting that China is strongly opposed to foreign interference.
Yang said the US side has “carefully orchestrated the dialogue,” according to an official translation reported by NBC.
“I think we thought too well about the United States, we thought the US would follow the necessary diplomatic protocols,” said Yang, adding that “the United States does not have the qualification to say it wants to speak China from a strong position. “
The two-day talks will end on Friday.
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