China, U.S. talks spotlight divide

The U.S. and China both highlighted deep differences after their first highlevel talks in months, suggesting the world’s two biggest economies haven’t found a clear path for improving their increasingly strained ties.

Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng told visiting Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman during talks Monday in the Chinese city of Tianjin that the relationship was “in a stalemate and faces serious difficulties.” Xie presented the No. 2 American diplomat with two lists of demands necessary to stabilize ties, including “U.S. wrongdoings that must stop” and “key individual cases that China has concerns with,” according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Senior Biden administration officials told reporters afterward that Sherman’s visit, which included a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was focused on setting the guardrails on the relationship, rather than negotiating specific issues. Still, they described the talks as forthright and professional, even if it was at times a “tough conversation.”

“The deputy secretary underscored that the United States welcomes the stiff competition between our countries — and that we intend to continue to strengthen our own competitive hand — but that we do not seek conflict with the PRC,” the State Department said in a statement, referring to China’s formal name.

The challenge facing Washington and Beijing is showing they can come to grips with their disagreements without appearing to domestic audiences that they are giving ground. That is proving a tall order given the sour feelings many in the Chinese government still harbor after the trade war that erupted under former President Donald Trump.