US and PRC Diplomats Publicly Exchange Harsh Accusations

The first meeting between the new US administration and the PRC leadership was intended to lay the foundation for a new relationship. The parties began with a public exchange of harsh accusations. The first meeting of high-ranking representatives of the new US administration and the leadership of the PRC, designed to lay the foundation for new relations between the two countries, began with a public exchange of tough accusations. At a meeting in Anchorage, Alaska on Thursday evening, March 18, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused China of cyberattacks, economic blackmailing Washington's allies, human rights abuses in Hong Kong and harassment of the Uyghurs, and stated that "US relations with China will be competitive when needed when possible - based on cooperation and when necessary - hostile. " Beijing's actions threaten global stability, Blinken summed up. Yang Jiechi, head of the Chancellery of the CPC Central Committee's Foreign Affairs Commission, responded with a 15-minute speech in Chinese, in which he criticized the "weakening democracy" in the United States, oppression of minorities, and American foreign and trade policies. “You are abusing the so-called national security concepts to impede normal trade and incite some countries to attack China,” he said, recalling US police violence, racism and the Black Lives Matter movement for the rights of African Americans. Hourly skirmish The ceremony of welcoming speeches exchange, usually lasting only a few minutes, turned into an hour-long squabble. The delegations of the two countries got into a dispute over when exactly the journalists should leave the hall. The US spokesman accused China of violating the protocol, according to which there were only two minutes for opening speeches. Following the meeting, the American delegation said that the first session of the talks between the representatives of the United States and the PRC in Anchorage was "substantive, serious and direct," both sides were able to state their interests and priorities. “We took advantage of this session as planned to articulate our interests and priorities, and we heard the same from our Chinese colleagues,” a member of the US delegation told Reuters.