"The US Administration has chosen a confrontational tone": how the American-Chinese dialogue is developing under Biden

The first day of the US-China talks at the level of foreign ministers was held in a tense atmosphere.

During the meeting in Anchorage, the parties exchanged criticisms and accusations of violation of protocol.

The summit in Alaska from the US side is attended by the head of the State Department Anthony Blinken and the presidential adviser on national security Jake Sullivan.

The PRC is represented by Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, head of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The negotiations will last two days.

In his opening remarks, Secretary Blinken announced that US officials intend to discuss “serious concerns about what China is doing, including its actions in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hong Kong and Taiwan, cyberattacks against the United States, economic coercion measures in attitude of our allies.

Each of these actions jeopardizes the rules-based order on which global stability rests. ”

In turn, Jake Sullivan added that the delegation from the United States “will make it clear that the first priority for us as the American side is to make sure that our approach to world issues and our approach to China will benefit the Americans and protect the interests of our allies and partners ”.

On the part of the PRC, the head of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Central Committee of the CPC made a speech in response.

Yang Jiechi said that "China does not accept unfounded accusations from the United States," and added that recent events have plunged relations between the two countries "into an unprecedented period of complexity", which "suffered the interests of the two peoples."

He added that “American democracy operates in the United States, and Chinese democracy in China.

And to assess the efforts of the United States to promote its democracy in relation to the case of China is given not only to the Americans, but also to the people of the whole world. "

“I do not think that the overwhelming majority of states will agree that the universal values ​​promoted by the United States or the opinion of the United States can fully reflect the opinion of the international community.

Also, these countries will not agree that the rules established by a small group of people can serve as the basis of international order, ”said the representative of the PRC.

In addition to mutual criticism in opening speeches, the parties also exchanged accusations of violating diplomatic protocol.

For example, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, citing an official from the PRC delegation, reported that US representatives had exceeded their allotted time to speak, and also made baseless accusations against Beijing.

In turn, a senior Biden administration official made similar accusations against the Chinese side, Politico reported.

According to him, Chinese diplomats deliberately delayed their speech, which he called ostentatious.

"China problem"

It is worth noting that on the eve of the first face-to-face talks with representatives of the PRC during the Biden administration, its representatives also actively contacted their allies, whom they hope to involve in a confrontation with Beijing.

So, on March 12, at the initiative of the US President, a virtual meeting with the heads of India, Japan and Australia was held.

Commenting on the event, Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the leaders discussed the challenge China presents and made it clear that they "have no illusions about the PRC."

• China and USA

• Reuters

• © Damir Sagolj

According to him, during the meeting, they discussed China's actions towards Australia, the situation with Japanese fishing vessels near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea (their ownership is disputed by Tokyo and Beijing -

RT

), as well as the situation on the Sino-Indian border.

At the same time, Sullivan stressed that China was not the main topic of the meeting, a significant part of the agenda of which was devoted to global crises, including the climate one, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Subsequently, on March 15, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, went on a joint tour, visiting primarily Seoul and Tokyo.

As Blinken clarified, the purpose of this visit was to discuss how the United States can strengthen "cooperation with the two closest allies in the Indian-Pacific region and around the world."

In turn, Lloyd Austin wrote on Twitter ahead of the trip that he considers China a "serious threat" to the United States.

“It is imperative that we solve the Chinese problem together with partners in the Indian-Pacific region,” said the head of the Pentagon.

"Fixes the position at the start"

Recall that from the very beginning of their stay in the White House, Joe Biden and his administration stated that they would continue the policy of containing the PRC.

For example, speaking at the State Department on February 4, the US President raised the issue of US-China relations, calling Beijing the main rival of Washington, which is challenging America's prosperity and security.

At the same time, Secretary of State Blinken said that the United States intends to "hold China accountable for actions that threaten stability in the Indo-Pacific region."

• Beijing, China

• Reuters

• © Jason Lee

In addition, at the Munich conference, the American leader called on the international community to "prepare together for a long-term strategic rivalry with China."

“We need to resist the economic abuse and coercion that the Chinese government is using to undermine the foundations of the international economic system.

Everyone - absolutely everyone - must follow the same rules, ”Biden said.

It is no coincidence that the representatives of Washington took a confrontational stance at the first face-to-face talks with China, said Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian Policy Research.

"The United States decided to open negotiations with accusations against China in order to demonstrate that they are central in this process, that the Biden administration determines the rules of the game, and it is she who is allowed to change them," Bruter explained in an interview with RT.

The analyst expects further setback in US-China relations.

“China will continue to find itself in a difficult situation and, despite the fact that it will seriously oppose the United States, it is not profitable for it to spoil relations with America now.

The US administration has chosen a confrontational tone for dealing with China and Russia, in order to define its positions, to put them in the framework that is convenient or beneficial for it, ”says Bruter.

Political analyst Alexander Asafov, in turn, notes that the current White House administration continues to advance the agenda with regard to China, formed by Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo.

“The US is doing the same with respect to Russia.

We can assume that Biden fixes his position at the start, demonstrates to the voter that he is a tough and independent leader who will fight against geopolitical competitors and opponents, ”the expert said.

From his point of view, China is now saying that the ideas transmitted by the United States are not shared by the entire European and Euro-Atlantic community, although the Americans are trying to convince the world otherwise.

In addition, Beijing recalls that it has direct ties with most of the members of the Euro-Atlantic coalition, Asafov emphasizes.

“The representatives of the PRC thus demonstrate that they are not going to sit idly by, but intend to oppose such a strategy.

The American-Chinese negotiations began with high notes, and this tonality will be maintained for some time in order to make everyone understand that the new American leadership, like the previous one, sees an opponent in China, ”Asafov concluded.