War of Words at First Meeting Between US and Chinese Officials
The first meeting between Biden administration officials and Chinese officials was accompanied by heated confrontation. Both sides accused each other of destabilizing activities. The United States made clear it would not remain silent on China’s “aggressive” economic policy and human rights issues.
Senior diplomats from China and the United States heavily criticized each other at the first formal meeting between representatives of Joe Biden with the People’s Republic.
At the first two-day meeting of senior officials from the two countries, which began Thursday (March 18) in Alaska, both sides used harsh language.
Anthony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, and Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, met with Yang Jiechi, director of foreign relations for the Communist Party, and Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister, and strongly criticized Chinese policies in domestic and foreign spheres.
Blinken stated: “We will express our concerns about China’s behavior, both with respect to Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and in connection with cyber attacks against the United States and economic pressure on our allies. Each of these behaviors undermines order and arrangement, as well as global stability and security.”
Anthony Blinken emphasized that the Biden administration, along with its allies, is countering China’s “authoritarian and hegemonic actions” in the domestic sphere and international affairs.
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the White House, also said that China has “trampled on fundamental universal values.” He stressed that the United States is not seeking conflict and confrontation but will welcome “competition.”
According to the Associated Press, when human rights issues were raised by American diplomats, Chinese officials accused the United States of hypocrisy.
Because of this confrontation, the initial “introductory” meeting, which normally lasts no more than a few minutes, lasted over an hour.
Donald Trump, the previous U.S. president, had tense relations with China and the two countries entered into a “trade war”; some Republicans were concerned that Joe Biden would adopt an overly lenient policy toward China.
One month earlier, Joe Biden held his first telephone conversation with Xi Jinping, China’s leader.
In his first contact, he raised issues such as human rights violations, unrest in Hong Kong, and tension in Taiwan. In response, China’s leader considered these issues to be internal Chinese matters and asked the U.S. president to respect China’s right to national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
