White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Wednesday that the U.S. will host Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, next week for the first major bilateral talks under President Biden.
The meeting will take place on March 18 or 19 with Foreign Minister Tony Blinken and White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
“It was important to us that the first meeting of the government with Chinese officials be held on American soil and that it take place after we have met and discussed partners and allies in both Asia and Europe,” Psaki said in her daily press statements.
“The meeting is an opportunity to address a wide range of issues, including issues on which we differ widely,” Psaki said.
“We intend to discuss our expectations, and we will openly explain Beijing’s actions and behavior … and our concerns about the challenges it poses to the security and values of the United States and our allies and partners.”
Psaki said there would also be talk of partnership with China.
‘We also talk about areas where we can work together – of mutual interest. And of course we come clear-eyed after these discussions, ”she said.
‘The meeting also provides an opportunity to highlight how the United States will stand up for the rules-based international system and a free and open Indo-Pacific. As the President said, we are approaching our relationship with the Chinese from a strong position on lock with our allies and partners. ”
Biden had an introductory call last month with Chinese President Xi Jinping. So far, Biden has liked much of former President Donald Trump’s policies toward China. He did not relax tariffs on Chinese goods or relax sanctions against officials.
Trump claimed during the presidential campaign that China would “own” the US if Biden won, in part because of his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China.
As president, Trump first cultivated a personal relationship with Xi and joked that he would want to make himself ‘lifelong’ as the communist leader did.
But the bond weakened after Trump waged a trade war aimed at forcing an agreement to reform economic policies. The Trump administration has also worked to persuade allies to ban Chinese telecommunications company Huawei from 5G infrastructure projects due to security issues.
Relations between America and China declined during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Trump has authorized sanctions against Chinese officials for eliminating Hong Kong’s political autonomy and for abusing Uyghur Muslims. He promised to economically “disconnect” the US and China in response to deception in early data on COVID-19.
Trump condemned Biden last month for rejoining the World Health Organization without insisting that China pay a larger share of WTO spending. Trump left the organization over the adoption of false Chinese data on COVID-19 before the virus spread and caused an economically devastating and deadly pandemic.