The US-China talks have turned into fragments

During a meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, each side criticized each other for human rights, trade, and international alliances. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has vowed to express concern about cyberattacks, attitudes towards the Muslim minority in Xinjiang and Beijing’s increased control over Hong Kong.

“An alternative to a rule-based order is a world where the powerful are right and everything goes to the winner, which would mean an even more violent and unstable world,” Blinken said.

The Chinese cut right here. Yang Jiechi, a member of the Communist Party’s political bureau, spoke in a lengthy monologue in which he stated that Western countries did not represent world public opinion and called the United States a “champion of cyberattacks.”

“A lot of people in America, in fact, have little confidence in American democracy,” he said, citing the murders of black Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement. In concluding his introductory remarks, he stated that Mr. Blinken’s comments were not “normal” and added “like manines” in reaction to them.

Blinken and Joe Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reacted immediately; Mr. Sullivan said that “a safe country is capable of analyzing its shortcomings and constantly striving for improvement” and that “this is a unique characteristic of the United States.”

Delegations began at 7:30 p.m. the second of the three closed sessions scheduled in local time, which was scheduled to last two hours. Previous closed-door talks have been “constructive, serious and open” and have taken longer than planned, a senior US administration official said.

Asian markets seem to have reacted painfully. The Shanghai Composite Index fell one percent in early trading, while the CSI 300 fell 1.9 percent, largely reflecting the global backdrop as concerns about tech company stocks spread outside of The USA.

“Too early”

“It is too early to conclude that this meeting heralds future events,” said Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Asia. “But of course the beginning is difficult and there are big and deep differences between the two countries.”

Chinese diplomats have repeatedly warned that they intend to oppose the Biden administration’s efforts to interfere in the country’s internal affairs, according to Beijing. Yang Jiechi warned Washington in February not to cross the “red lines.” And yet Blinken touched on sensitive issues during his trip to Asia this week, accusing China of “violence and aggression.”

After the introductory remarks, tensions in Anchorage escalated further. Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi continued to criticize.

“Is this how you expected this dialogue to unfold?” Asked Mr. Jiechi, whose words were translated by the delegation’s translator. “I think we think too highly of the United States. The United States has no right to speak to China. from a point of view “.

While Chinese officials said the criticism from Blinken and Sullivan at the beginning of the meeting was an inappropriate way to receive guests, a senior American official later said there were more poses and theatricality in the Chinese officials’ speech than in the background. of the matter.

China has leveled similar accusations to the United States that it is violating diplomatic protocol by “significantly delaying” the start of the meeting.

The difficult start further weakened already bleak expectations for a meeting in Alaska. According to a source familiar with the situation, some administration officials have previously expressed concern that it is too early to hold such a meeting early in Joe Biden’s term.

“Fight for nothing”

“Because the Biden administration has yet to establish clear policy, they are finally fighting for nothing, for positions,” said Derek Scissors, a Chinese analyst at the US Institute for Conservative Policy. “If it takes months to review the situation and select the right people before formulating policy with China, that’s great, but then don’t wait for a useful meeting with the Chinese.”

Before the meeting, Beijing officials hinted at the possibility of holding a virtual summit between Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in April to mark Earth Day, which would focus on fighting climate change. It is unclear whether the awkward start of negotiations in Alaska will not adjust those plans.

The new US president, who has been in this post for two months, is unlikely to fundamentally change former President Donald Trump’s tough stance on China. In the context of Saudi Arabia, Biden refrained from imposing sanctions on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, although he surpassed Trump and publicly attributed it to the death of journalist Yamal Khashogg.

Joe Biden continues Trump’s efforts to give new impetus to the alliance of four countries: the United States, Australia, Japan and India. Blinken did not skimp on the praise of Trump’s announced Abraham Accords peace deal, the resumption of friendly relations between Israel and the Middle East.

“At least initially, they stick with what Trump left them with,” said Aaron Frieberg, a foreign policy professor at Princeton University and a former national security assistant in the administration of President George W. Bush.

“As for specifics, like saying that China is committing genocide in Xinjiang, which can be compared to a field mine left on their doorstep, instead of trying to be more flexible, they just accepted it.”