A meeting between senior officials of the U.S. and China in Anchorage, Alaska, did not lead to an improvement in relations between the two countries. Yang Jiechi, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, and Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The meeting started with the two countries’ officials publicly rebuking each other. Blinken said that China threatened the rules-based international order and endangered global stability. Yang Jiechi riposted that “the United States uses its military force and financial hegemony to carry out long-arm jurisdiction and to suppress other countries”. “It abuses so-called notions of national security to obstruct normal trade exchanges and incite some countries to attack China,” he added in a 15-minute speech, forcing the U.S. party to wait for translation. He also accused the U.S. to be a bad host as the U.S. should not be talking to China in a condescending manner. What is typically a few minutes of opening remarks open to the press in such high-level meetings lasted for more than an hour, and the two delegations tussled about when media would be ushered out of the room. The U.S. accused China of “violating protocol”.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China-U.S. relations have encountered unprecedented difficulties as China’s legitimate rights and interests have been unreasonably suppressed. “The old habit of U.S. hegemonic behavior of willfully interfering in China’s internal affairs must be changed,” Wang said. But after the initial spat, Chinese officials said they had “direct, frank and constructive discussions”. “We hope the United States is not going to underestimate China’s determination to defend its territory, to safeguard its people, and maintain its righteous interest. China and the U.S. should move toward each other while respecting each other’s core interests. On this common ground, China is willing to adopt an open attitude to the United States,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Blinken called the talks “a very candid conversation on an expansive agenda”. As they differed on many issues, China and the U.S. agreed to set up a working group on climate change. 

Prior to the meeting, the U.S. government imposed additional sanctions on 24 mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials deemed responsible for imperiling Hong Kong democracy, including the 14 Vice Chairpersons of the National People’s Congress (NPC). Meanwhile, the European Union also imposed sanctions to which China immediately replied with its own. In another move, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it has launched proceedings to revoke authorization for two Chinese telecom firms – China Unicom Americas and Pacific Networks – to provide telecom services in the U.S., saying the actions were to protect the U.S. telecom infrastructure from “potential security threats.” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said that the U.S. Commerce Department has served subpoenas on multiple Chinese companies that provide information and communications technology and services in the U.S., adding the move was intended to conduct a review and prepare for actions to protect “U.S. national security.”

Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai said that the U.S. was full of illusions if it thought China would compromise. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is still formulating its policy concerning tariffs imposed on Chinese goods by the Trump administration. No progress on the trade dispute was reported. Bilateral trade grew by 8.8% year-on-year in 2020 and jumped 81.3% in the first two months of 2021 in stark contrast to the free fall in diplomatic relations.

Analysts said the Biden administration likely would be in no hurry to sit down with Beijing again any time soon, according to the South China Morning Post. 

This overview is based on reporting by the China Daily, Shanghai Daily, Global Times, South China Morning Post and The Guardian.