The Biden administration’s first summit with China, being held in Alaska, has seen the two sides competing over how their relationship will proceed, with Washington assuming an offensive position including new sanctions, while China has sought dialogue but refused to back down.
After the second and final day of talks in Anchorage, Alaska, Yang Jiechi, the Communist Party of China’s foreign policy chief, told reporters the talks were candid, constructive, and beneficial, despite the posturing.
Yang further noted that both nations should follow policies of non-confrontation and avoidance of conflicts.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who accompanied Yang to the talks, told CGTN that their side had made clear to the Americans that China takes its sovereignty very seriously and warned them not to “underestimate China’s determination to defend its territory, to defend its people, and maintain its righteous interests.”
The Chinese delegation sharply criticized the hosting Americans during the first day of talks, accusing them of violating the meeting’s protocols by speaking well over their time limit and using their opening statements to attack various Chinese policies. On the other side, US officials said the Chinese appeared primarily concerned with “theatrics” and “grandstanding.”
In response, Yang said China does not “believe in invading through the use of force, or to topple other regimes through various means, or to massacre the people of other countries, because all of those would only cause turmoil and instability in this world,” noting they are all things the United States does.
Going into the talks, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged the two sides to “have dialogue and exchanges based on mutual respect and equality,” noting that “even if we cannot work things out anytime soon, such exchange of views will help boost trust and dispel misgivings.” However, US State Department officials noted they did not see the Alaska summit as the beginning of a new mechanism or dialogue.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
