Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a press conference after he restored diplomatic relations 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 face-to-face meetings with Chinese officials in Alaska next week.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet with Central Commission Foreign Affairs Director of the People’s Republic of China, Yang Jiechi, and State Councilor Wang Yi on March 18 in Anchorage, Alaska.
“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 expected to go on his first trip abroad as Foreign Minister next week.
Tensions between Beijing and Washington increased under the Trump administration, which escalated a trade war and prevented Chinese tech companies from doing business in the US.
Over the past four years, the Trump administration blamed China for a variety of abuses, including intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices and, most recently, the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden previously said that his approach to China would differ from that of his predecessor in that he would work more closely with allies to achieve a backlash against Beijing.
“We will face China’s economic abuse,” said Biden in a speech at the State Department, describing Beijing as America’s “most serious competitor.”
“But we are also ready to work with Beijing if it is in the US interest. We will compete from a position of strength by improving at home and working with our allies and partners.”
Last month, Biden announced a new Department of Defense task force to assess the US military’s China strategy.
“This is how we will meet the China challenge and ensure that the American people will win the competition in the future,” said Biden on his first visit as the Pentagon in chief.
