On Thursday, the United States (US) and China participated in their first in-person meeting since the inauguration of President Joe Biden. At the meeting, which was held in Anchorage, Alaska, both sides expressed sharp criticism of the other on issues of human rights, trade, and international alliances.
The US delegation was led by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while the Chinese delegation was headed by Chinese Communist Party Politburo member and the Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi. The meeting was also attended by other high-level diplomats from both governments including US National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi.
Blinken brought up China’s infringement on civil liberties and violation of human rights in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. He also accused China of orchestrating cyberattacks on the US and using economic coercion against American allies. “Each of these actions threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability...That’s why they’re not merely internal matters, and why we feel an obligation to raise these issues here today,” said Blinken. This was in reference to China’s usual defence that the US and its allies must refrain from interfering in China’s “internal affairs” in the aforementioned regions. Sullivan added that China has undertaken an “assault on basic values” and that the US does not “seek conflict” but welcomes “stiff competition”.
In response, Yang asked the US to avoid pushing its own vision of democracy on the world, specifically since it has failed to deal with its own human rights problems. To support his claim, he cited the Black Lives Matter protests that have gained momentum across the US in the past year. “We believe that it is important for the United States to change its own image and to stop advancing its own democracy in the rest of the world… Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States… China will not accept unwarranted accusations from the US side,” Yang said.
The Chinese diplomat also added that recent developments had thrown relations “into a period of unprecedented difficulty” that “has damaged the interests of our two peoples.” Through this statement, Yang was referring to the tumultuous relationship between China and the US that reached new lows under the Trump administration, who was known to take a hardline stance on Beijing.
Relations between the two have worsened in recent years, as the two nations continue to lock horns over China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, the imposition of the draconian national security law in Hong Kong, the treatment of minorities in Xinjiang, and security measures in Tibet. In fact, only days before the current talks, the US imposed sanctions on 24 officials from the Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong for their involvement in the crackdown on Hong Kong. Further, last year, both sides introduced tit-for-tat visa restrictions on officials involved in formulating policies for Tibet. In addition, the two countries have also been long-locked in a trade war.
The most recent round of talks has exposed a deep divide in the relationship between the two powers. So far, the Biden administration has given no official indication that it will discontinue Washington’s hardline stance against China.
US and China Take Aim at Each Other’s Policies in Fiery Alaska Meeting
Senior American and Chinese officials met in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, human rights, and the South China Sea.
March 19, 2021
SOURCE: AFP