WASHINGTON: Top diplomats from the United States and China on Friday signaled that there were no significant breakthroughs in strained bilateral relations as they concluded a two-day meeting in Alaska. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan from the United States met with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This is the first high-level direct contact between the two countries since President Joe Biden took office in January.
Mr Blinken told reporters that he was able to achieve his original purpose for the meeting, which was to highlight key concerns that the United States and its allies have about China’s actions and attitudes, and to formulate policiesand US priorities. “We know that there are some areas in which we are based, including Beijing’s human rights abuses against the Uighurs in Xinjiang, as well as its crackdown On Hong Kong and claims to Taiwan, said he .”
The Chinese side, the talks were constructive but that there were differences between the two sides. Wang Yi, meanwhile, said China had told the US not to underestimate Beijing’s commitment to defending its sovereignty. The exchange between the two countries became more heated when Blinken made it clear that the Biden administration would not stop raising issues such as the human rights situation in Xinjiang and Taiwan.
