Senior representatives of the United States and China concluded the talks in Anchorage.
Two days of talks – the first face–to–face meeting between the two foreign ministers since US President Joe Biden took office-were marked by an unexpected exchange of critical remarks in front of television cameras.
The US president’s National Security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters: “We expected difficult and direct negotiations on a wide range of issues, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Members of the Chinese delegation left the hotel without comment to reporters. Still, Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi told the Chinese press that the discussions were constructive, but “of course, differences remain.”
The US Secretary of State said he was “not surprised” by China’s response to concerns about human rights violations in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, cyber-attacks, and pressure on Taiwan. Blinken added that the two countries have overlapping interests in Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, and global climate change.
He pointed out that in matters of trade and technology, “we will move in a way that fully protects and promotes the interests of our workers and businesses.”
