U.S., China hold `frank, open' talks

`FRANK, OPEN' TALKS

A top Chinese diplomat took a confrontational tone on Monday in rare high-level talks with the United States, accusing it of creating an “imaginary enemy” to divert attention from domestic problems and suppress China.

Amid worsening relations between the world's two largest economies, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the second-ranking U.S. diplomat, had face-toface meetings with China's vice foreign minister in the northern city of Tianjin that the U.S. State Department described as “frank and open.”

No specific outcomes were agreed upon and the prospect of a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping was not discussed, senior U.S. administration officials said following talks that lasted about four hours.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said the prospect of a meeting between Biden and Xi did not come up during Sherman's meetings, though she added that she expects there will be some opportunity to engage at some point.

“The president continues to believe in face-to-face diplomacy. That is something he has long been an advocate for. And we expect there will be some opportunity to engage at some point but it did not come up in the context of these meetings, and that was not the purpose of these meetings,” Psaki said.

China seized the early narrative, with state media reporting on confrontational remarks by Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng soon after the session began, in echoes of a similarly combative opening by senior Chinese officials during high-level talks in March in Alaska.

Foreign media were kept at a distance from the site of the talks, held outside of Beijing due to COVID-19 protocols, but Chinese media were permitted on the premises.

“The United States wants to reignite the sense of national purpose by establishing China as an imaginary enemy,” Xie was quoted as saying.

The United States had mobilized its government and society to suppress China, he added.

Sherman laid out U.S. concerns over China's actions on issues ranging from Hong Kong and Xinjiang to Tibet and cyber attacks, senior administration officials said, adding that China should not approach areas of global concern, such as climate and Afghanistan, on a transactional basis.

Psaki told reporters on Monday that while there are areas of concern with China, the two countries might align on areas such as climate and non-proliferation, as well as on regional concerns such as North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Myanmar.