China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a news conference after restoring diplomatic ties with Kiribati on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, on September 27, 2019.
Mark Kauzlarich | Reuters
WASHINGTON – For the first time since President Joe Biden took office, senior US officials will hold high-level personal conversations with Chinese representatives next week in Alaska.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 18, with Yang Jiechi of the People’s Republic of China, a member of the Communist Party’s decision-making body, and Wang Yi, foreign minister.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that it is important for the government to hold the first meeting on American soil. She added that Blinken and Sullivan are entering the negotiations with clear eyes and prepared to discuss a number of issues with the Chinese.
“The meeting will take place after Secretary Blinken’s meetings with two of our closest regional allies in Tokyo and Seoul,” the State Department wrote in a statement on Wednesday. Blinken is due to make his first trip abroad as secretary of state next week.
In February, Blinken and Yang made their first call and discussed a number of issues. The top US diplomat emphasized human rights and the ongoing military coup in Myanmar, while Yang urged Washington to respect China’s sovereignty.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to US Department of State officials during the first visit by US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC, February 4, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Tension between Beijing and Washington increased under the Trump administration, which escalated a trade war and worked to ban Chinese technology companies from doing business in the United States.
In the past four years, the Trump administration has blamed China for a wide range of complaints, including intellectual property theft, unfair commercial practices and, recently, the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden, who spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, had previously said that his approach to China would be different from that of his predecessor, as he would work more closely with the allies to prepare a reaction against Beijing.
“We will face China’s economic abuses,” said Biden in a speech at the State Department, describing Beijing as the “most serious competitor” in the United States.
“But we are also ready to work with Beijing when it is in America’s interest to do so. We will compete in a position of strength by building better at home and working with our allies and partners.”
Last month, Biden announced a new Department of Defense task force designed to assess the strategy of the U.S. armed forces in China.
“This is how we will face China’s challenge and ensure that the American people win the competition in the future,” said Biden on his first visit as commander-in-chief to the Pentagon.