Reuters – The United States is looking for China to change its behavior if it wants to reset sour relations as the two sides prepare to meet in Alaska on Thursday, but Beijing has said Washington is full of illusions if it thinks it will compromise.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi in Anchorage, fresh off of Blinken’s visits to allies Japan and South Korea.
Washington says the Asia tour, as well as outreach to Europe, India and other partners, shows how the United States has strengthened its hand to confront China since President Joe Biden took office in January.
But the two sides appear primed to agree on very little during what will be the first high-level in-person talks with China of the Biden presidency, which were expected to begin in the early afternoon in Anchorage and run into the evening.
State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter said the meetings would be an opportunity to press China on issues “where the U.S. and the international community expect transparency and accountability, and to understand where we may have interest in cooperating, including climate change.”
“This will be a frank conversation in calling out Beijing’s actions to defy their international commitments, undermine the rule-based international system, and challenge the security, prosperity and values of the United States and our partners and alliances,” she told a regular briefing.
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