War of words in first meeting between US officials and Chinese counterparts
The first meeting between Biden administration officials and Chinese officials was marked by a heated argument. Both sides accused each other of destabilizing activities. The United States made it clear that it would not remain silent about China’s “aggressive” economic policies and human rights issues.
Senior Chinese and American diplomats sharply criticized each other during the first official meeting of Joe Biden's representatives with the People's Republic.
Both sides used harsh words during the first two-day meeting of high-ranking officials from the two countries, which began in Alaska on Thursday (March 18).
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Yang Jiechi, the Communist Party's foreign affairs chief, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, sharply criticizing China's domestic and foreign policies.
“We will raise our concerns about China’s behavior, both in relation to Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and in relation to cyberattacks on the United States and economic pressure on our allies. Each of these behaviors disrupts global order and stability and security,” Blinken said.
Anthony Blinken emphasized that the Biden administration, along with its allies, will confront China's "authoritarian and authoritarian actions" domestically and internationally.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan also said that China had trampled on “fundamental universal values.” He stressed that the United States did not seek conflict but would welcome “competition.”
According to the Associated Press, Chinese officials accused the United States of hypocrisy when American diplomats raised human rights issues.
Because of this argument, the initial "introduction" meeting, which usually lasts no more than a few minutes, lasted over an hour.
Previous US President Donald Trump had tense relations with China, and the two countries entered a “trade war”; some Republicans were concerned that Joe Biden would adopt a policy that was too soft on China.
Joe Biden spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time in a phone call a month ago.
In his first call, he raised issues such as human rights violations, unrest in Hong Kong, and tension in Taiwan. In return, the Chinese leader considered these issues as China's internal affairs and urged the US president to respect China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
