The first meeting between the Joe Biden government and China concluded: the two parties recognized a “hard” but “constructive” dialogue

The first formal talks between the government of US President Joe Biden and the Chinese regime were “Hard” but “constructive”, the two sides said Friday amid mounting tensions between the two world superpowers.

The dialogue was “direct, constructive and useful, although there are still important differences between the two parties”, Communist Party of China top diplomatic official Yang Jiechi said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that while each side respects the interests and concerns of the other the dialogue between the two countries “would always be open”, said the Chinese agency Xinhua.

But Wang, he said, “made it clear to the US side that sovereignty and territorial integrity are important issues of principle.”

Wang said Washington should not “underestimate the will of the Chinese people to safeguard national dignity and legitimate rights and interests,” he said. Xinhua

For their part, senior U.S. officials said the talks were “Hard and direct”, but that some were found areas where the interests of rival superpowers overlap.

The high-level meeting began Thursday and ended Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, after delegates from Washington and Beijing criticized each other for actions seen as disrupting global stability, in the first meeting between representatives of the two countries since the coming to power of US President Joe Biden on January 20.

After sessions on Thursday and Friday morning, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was outspoken about its concerns about Beijing’s attitude towards Hong Kong and Taiwan and its actions in cyberspace. The Chinese side was on the defensive as expected, he said.

“But we were also able to have a very candid conversation during those many hours on an expanding schedule,” said Blinken. “On Iran, on North Korea, on Afghanistan, on the climate, our interests intersect “, Indian. The meetings were defined as an exchange of views and no agreement or pact was expected.

“We expected to have difficult and straightforward conversations on a wide range of topics, and that’s exactly what we got,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. “We have clear things when we leave, and we will return to Washington to take stock of where we are.”, He said. “We will continue to consult with our allies and partners on the way forward,” Sullivan added.

Relations between China and the United States have deteriorated significantly during the time of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) with collisions in aircraft such as commercial, diplomatic or technological, and although Biden promised another approach, his government does not seem to hurry to put an end to its conflicts with Beijing.

The two superpowers have increasingly clashed over a wide range of issues, from geopolitical competition in the Western Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, to trade relations and the handling of the covid-19 epidemic, which China has reported to the World Health Organization. health (WHO) in December 2019.

Washington has particularly criticized China’s growing political control over Hong Kong, its threats against Taiwan and its mistreatment of the large Uyghur minority, which US officials call a policy of “genocide.”

“Cold War Mentality”

The talks began Thursday with attacks from both sides for human rights and geopolitics.

Blinken accused China of actions that “Threatening the rules-based order that maintains global stability”, statements that Biden supported this Friday saying he is “proud” of his secretary of state.

Yang responded to Blinken’s “condescending” language, accusing him of performing a show of force for the podium.

“When I walked into this room, I should have reminded the American side to pay attention to their tone in our respective opening remarks, but I didn’t.” Yang said, according to an American translation of his Chinese speech.

Sullivan said the United States did not want a conflict, but welcomed “tough competition.”

Yang asked him “to let go of the Cold War mentality” and said Beijing wanted “no confrontation, no conflict”.

The Chinese side rejected Blinken’s claim that his discussion with “nearly a hundred peers” around the world showed that the majority appreciated the global role of the United States and were “deeply concerned” about the behavior of the United States. Beijing.

“Between our two countries we have had clashes in the past and the result has not served the United States”, rYang growled.

Beijing accused Washington of an aggressive, non-diplomatic approach when receiving its guests in Alaska.

“When the Chinese delegation arrived in Anchorage, their hearts were frozen with the biting cold, as well as the welcome from their American host,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday.

With information from AFP and EFE

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