New Delhi: The first high-level meeting between the US and China since Joe Biden took office as US president was marked by unusually pointed public remarks between top officials.
Held in Alaska’s Anchorage Friday, the hour-long heated debate was attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi, a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
In their opening remarks, Blinken and Sullivan had stressed on the concerns they had heard from their allies about China’s behaviour.
Blinken said, “The alternative to a rules-based order is a world in which might makes right and winners take all. And that would be a far more violent and unstable world for all of us.”
In response, Yang retorted: “Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States,” citing the killing of Black Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement as an example.
He also remarked that Blinken’s comments weren’t “normal” and in response “mine aren’t either”.
However, Wang said: “China is willing to exchange views” with the US.
According to CNN, the Chinese had accused the other side of being “condescending”, while a US official said the representatives from Beijing seemed “intent on grandstanding”.
This comes a week after the first-ever ‘Quad’ summit and days after Blinken led a high-profile trip to South Korea and Japan alongside US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to underscore American unity with Asian allies.
Blinken also unveiled sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials for their ongoing crackdown in Hong Kong Wednesday.
Recently, Beijing also hit back at a strongly worded US-Japan joint statement.
Also read: Why Biden’s ‘America is back’ is not good for the world’s ‘China concerns’
Twitter reacts to meet, rabbits-eagles meme shared in China
The language used by both sides of the diplomatic meet were noted by news media, Twitter users and political commentators.
The Chinese delegation’s charge that Washington does not have the qualifications to speak “from a position of strength” was especially discussed across the spectrum.
The U.S. and China leveled sharp rebukes of each others’ policies in the first high-level, in-person talks of the Biden administration, with deeply strained relations of the two global rivals on rare public display in Alaska https://t.co/cl3SoVXQmE pic.twitter.com/JAJxufB674
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 19, 2021
Many on social media referred to the meet as a “squabble” and Yang’s charge as “brutal”.
However, American academic and former diplomat Michael Anthony McFaul suggested that the talks shouldn’t be taken at face-value.
“No one in China or the US should overreact to these public statements. Rarely, does substantive diplomacy occur in front of cameras,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Anant Krishnan, visiting Fellow at Hong Kong University, shared a meme that is being shared on social media that depicts the Chinese delegation as bunny rabbits and the American delegation as bald eagles.
Image doing the rounds on Chinese social media capturing the US China Alaska talks pic.twitter.com/u7UFrTa0vV
— Ananth Krishnan (@ananthkrishnan) March 19, 2021
According to US reporter Christina Ruffini, both sides were “trying to have the last word”.
CNN had reported that after Wang had finished his remarks, aides had started to usher the press out of the room but Blinken motioned for the press to return and said, “Hold on one second please.”
He went on to say: “Director, state counselor, given your extended remarks, permit me please to add just a few of my own before we get down to work.”
A US senior administration official had also pointed out that though both sides had agreed to opening statements of about 2 minutes, the Chinese delegation spoke for more than 20 minutes while the American representatives stuck to the allotment of time.
The Global Times, a Chinese government-affiliated media organisation, quoted a Chinese diplomat who said that what the American side did during the meeting was “neither hospitable nor good diplomatic etiquette”.
(Edited by Rachel John)
Also read: Chinese state capitalism — a threat to US and the world, and how Biden must respond
China insulted America & Biden big time while the Eagle looked on!! The Chinese rightly questioned American human right records it’s democratic credentials!!
I am no Chinese fan but they did show the Americans; especially the so called “liberal” / “democrats” the mirror!! Good job China!!
It’s no use precisely what is the use of engaging in dialogue with a terrorist state of PRC. its actually not PRC its CPRC (Communist Party Republic of China. Let them fa e the wrath of the world n automatically they will subside.. Furthermore impose another usd 1200 billion of tariff on that already 600 to 800, freeze all USD Treasury Bond of China kept in American banks as FCA and impose strictest econo.mic financial n military sanction, freeze all USD currency trade of China with other currency… N u see in a year this rogue nation becomes Sancho Panza in the ha d of the World
Before we get down to work … Ever the dove, one will hope the opening remarks were just the salad leaves, some juicy steak was served up in private.