U.S., China hold `tough' talks in Alaska
• Senior U.S. and Chinese officials concluded on Friday what Washington called “tough and direct” talks that laid bare the depth of tensions between the world's two largest economies at the outset of the Biden administration.
The run-up to the talks in Anchorage, Alaska, which followed visits by U.S. officials to allies Japan and South Korea, was marked by a flurry of moves by Washington that showed it was taking a firm stance, as well as by blunt talk from Beijing warning the United States to discard illusions that it would compromise.
“We expected to have tough and direct talks on a wide range of issues, and that's exactly what we had,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters moments after the Chinese delegation left the hotel meeting room.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, standing beside Sullivan, said he was not surprised that the United States got a “defensive response” from China after it raised its concerns over Chinese human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, as well as over cyberattacks and pressure on Taiwan.
But Blinken said the two sides also had intersecting interests on Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, and climate change.
“On economics, on trade, on technology, we told our counterparts that we are reviewing these issues with close consultation with Congress, with our allies and partners, and we will move forward on them in a way that totally protects and advances the interests of our workers and our businesses,” Blinken said.
Members of China's delegation left the hotel without speaking to reporters.
After pointed opening remarks on Thursday from Blinken about China's challenge to a rules-based international order, China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi lashed out with a speech criticizing U.S. democracy, and foreign and trade policies.
The United States accused China of “grandstanding” for its domestic audience.
The rebukes played out in front of cameras, but a senior U.S. administration official said as soon as media had left the room, the two sides “immediately got down to business.”
China's social media carried comments saying Chinese officials were doing a good job in Alaska, and that the U.S. side lacked sincerity.